


New Blood, Old Soul

by Marcus_S_Lazarus



Category: Dracula (TV 2013), Merlin (TV)
Genre: Crossover, F/M, Morgana is reborn as Lucy Westenra, Reincarnation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-09
Updated: 2020-04-09
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:26:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 26,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23561524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marcus_S_Lazarus/pseuds/Marcus_S_Lazarus
Summary: While investigating the arrival of an ancient force in England, the waiting Merlin discovers an unexpected second chance
Relationships: Merlin/Lucy Westenra, Merlin/Morgana (Merlin), Mina Murray/Lucy Westenra (one-sided)
Comments: 15
Kudos: 29





	1. Life Begins Anew

He could do nothing; he was aware of that from the moment he sensed the new arrival.

There were always injustices he longed to avert, but ever since the fall of Camelot, all those long years ago, after Gwen's death, he had become increasingly aware of those occasions when he was powerless to do anything. So many good men and women had died because it was not his place to interfere- the Salem Witch Trials had been the worst, because he _could_ have done something if he had only been close enough, but as it was he wasn't so he couldn't-, it had become almost natural for him to try and stay away from anyone. Not only did he have his duty to keep watch on the lake in case the time came for Arthur to rise again and his aid was needed, meaning that any new relationships formed now would never be able to take on the same importance as his old ties to Arthur, but there was also the issue of his immortality; while it had once struck him as fascinating- particularly when he had mastered how to control his age without the potion-, it had soon become frustrating, seeing everyone aging around him, forcing him to lie every time he began to get too close to someone…

In the end, it had been easier not to care. He'd stayed away for a while, avoiding contact with others so that he could focus on his own destiny, but he'd eventually recognised that he couldn't stay away from the rest of the world while he waited. He had returned to regular life a few times, doing what he could to keep up to date with the world around him- he'd even attended university a few times, even if he didn't put his subsequent qualifications to practical use-, stepping in when he felt that he could afford to take the risk, but he generally worked to stay out of the world unless he had to; worrying about Arthur's future was more than enough for him right now.

Still… despite that, there were some cases where even his vow of non-interference couldn't overcome his own natural desire to help, and what he had detected recently was one such occurrence. He might not use his abilities regularly any more, but he was still one of the most powerful beings alive, and certain talents had only developed over time, including his awareness of certain creatures.

He might not want to get involved in the world any more than he had to, but when he sensed a vampire of such power enter his country, he almost had to take an interest.

Vampires…

To say that they were complicated was an understatement. They might be officially agents of darkness, but since they lacked a soul and were physically dead, the rules surrounding them were comparatively murkier; their easier-to-exploit weaknesses were only so useful against opponents of such exceptional power. They didn't even qualify as actual demons, since the spirits that animated them defied most of the traditional forms of classification used when dealing with others; they might not have their original souls, but what they had was disturbingly close to it, opening into a realm that no other demon dwelled…

In other words, they were outside the order of the Old Religion that governed Merlin's powers, which meant that the rules of the Old Religion wouldn't allow him to take action against them. He could stake a vampire or try and fight one with his bare hands, of course, but with their enhanced strength it would have been a disruption of the delicate balance that allowed him and the vampires to exist in this world that was so increasingly abandoning magic for science; magic, for all its wonder, still had rules that must be obeyed, even by one as powerful as himself.

While vampires were not a pleasant part of that world, they were still a part of it, bordering a great many areas and planes of existence. As a result, he could not counter a vampire as old as the one he sensed without risking greater destruction due to his maybe-foe's potential; the last time he had encountered a vampire and tried to kill it…

He'd been lucky that the consequences of his defiance of the Old Religion's order had been contained to merely London, and it had taken a great deal of effort to limit the effects to that; he couldn't take that chance again. It was why he'd left the 'Ripper' alone during the Whitechapel killings; he'd sensed something going on there, but the damage to the bodies had created enough uncertainty for him to stay where he was, especially given the vampire's relatively limited power.

Still, regardless of his limitations, he had still made the decision to come to this party once he had determined the vampire's location, and he was going to stick it out. Even if he couldn't do anything against this vampire- who, judging by what he had sensed so far, was a being of considerable power-, he felt as though he had to at least see this new arrival; he might not be able to do anything against Britain's new resident, but he could at least get an idea about his reasons for coming to this country in the first place.

After all, he knew better than most what this man was capable of; as a powerful warrior even before he became what he was now, the man who had once been known as Vlad Tepes had a formidable mind before he had centuries to practise and develop it, and such a mind did not become weakened by confinement such as what he had endured.

The knowledge that the vampire he had detected was none other than Count Dracula had been a shock at first, but he supposed he should have expected it; the count's enemies had been thorough, but something that ancient wasn't going to be stopped easily, even if he didn't have the kind of power that would always inspire fear or worship in others.

While Merlin was puzzled at his new alias- what would inspire a Transylvanian noble to pose as an American entrepreneur?-, his foe's motives were only important so far as they determined what he was here to accomplish. Merlin wasn't going to act against the man until he knew for sure what he was up to; Dracula might be a monster who fed on others to live, but there was still a fundamental nobility about him that even his original transformation had not eliminated completely.

Besides, in a strange sense, this party had given him a chance to have a little fun for the first time in a long while, starting with him taking a ticket from one of the guests- a thoroughly unpleasant man; Merlin might have been born in the Middle Ages, but that man's attitude towards his workers would have been barbaric even then- and going on from there. The photograph upon arrival was awkward, but it was nothing Merlin couldn't cope with; a subtle ball of light as the picture was taken, and the resulting image would be too blurred for anyone to use to identify him later no matter what happened to the picture itself. Mingling with the guests had been awkward, but his chosen alias had been a social success; all he had to do was say a few words, think like Arthur and move like he belonged everywhere, and it was easy.

"It's breathtaking," a voice said from the door, just a short distance from where Merlin was currently sampling the offered drink.

"Well, now, isn't this exciting?" another voice said, the sound of the voice nearly causing Merlin to drop his glass. "I'm liking this Grayson already."

 _It couldn't be_ …

As he turned around and saw the woman who had spoken, wearing a red corset top and a white dress, his heart seemed to stop in his chest.

_Morgana…_

Reincarnation had been a topic he had read about extensively since he first became aware of his own immortality- the idea that a soul could be reborn to undo the mistakes of its past and get a second chance had appealed to him-, but he had long ago resigned himself to the notion that nothing would come of it; Arthur and the spirits of those other fallen knights dwelled in Avalon, outside of the usual rules of life and death, and would not return to Earth until the time was right, and Gaius and his other friends from outside Camelot had all died at peace with themselves.

But to see her… hair so fair where it had once been so dark… a teasing smile untainted by malice… her dress the elegant finery she had worn as Camelot's unofficial princess rather than the darker attire she had worn in exile…

He heard a teasing tone to the woman's voice as she spoke with the man and woman she had arrived with, but he couldn't bring himself to register them; all that mattered was the sight of this woman, vindicating so much of what he had read simply by standing there, her presence too strong in his other senses to be anything other than what she seemed.

Even with the differences, it was _her_.

She was so like Morgana had been back when he had first arrived in Camelot, a ray of sunshine and light, so innocent of the wider world, so unaware of what she could be on either side…

The announcement of their host's arrival brought his thoughts back to the present, but as the man known as Alexander Grayson walked down the stairs, his eyes settling on the woman in blue who had come here with Morgana, Merlin's own eyes narrowed.

That kind of interest from a vampire could never be a positive thing, regardless of Merlin's forced vow of non-interference and his earlier thoughts on Dracula's nature.

Whatever else Dracula was here for, Merlin would _not_ let him have Morgana's new life; she had lost one to the corruptions of others, and that was all he would permit…

Carefully manoeuvring up to a position where he could stand near the infamous vampire lord without his old foe being aware of him- Dracula's senses weren't as refined as his in this manner, but the right clues could still be dangerous-, Merlin nodded slightly as he took in the information about Morgana's companions; Mina Murray was a medical student whose father was a doctor at Bethlam Royal Hospital, while Jonathan Harker was an ambitious journalist for the _Inquisitor_.

It was a small thing to know, but it was a useful detail nevertheless…

As Dracula moved into position at the top of the stairs once again, talking about the Dark Ages as the lights around the hall went down, Merlin's eyes narrowed as he glared at the man who was so subtly mocking him.

It was probably only a coincidence- Dracula couldn't have known that he was going to be here, after all-, but to hear him talking about the fear of the Dark Ages that had come about because of Arthur's death and the later fall of Camelot, and then claim to have the solution…

Even if he wanted to hope for the best- and he had to admit to being impressed by the electric light; some of the things man could do without magic these days still amazed him-, Merlin resented the idea that a vampire believed he could be the agent of redemption after the fall of Camelot; he would be a poor successor to Arthur no matter what he had to offer.

Still, as the lights went up and Dracula continued to speak to his guests, Merlin smiled as he heard 'Morgana' introduce herself.

 _Lucy Westenra_ …

A different name, to be sure, but the soul was all too familiar to him; the soul of the woman for whom he'd felt so much that he had never been able to express… the soul of the woman who'd become his greatest enemy because he couldn't admit how he felt in time to save her…

He couldn't let it happen again.

Now that he knew she was there, he _had_ to protect her…


	2. A Meeting of Old Men

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place shortly after Alexander Grayson's debut; he has returned from his hunt and first kill but has not yet had his 'talk' with Renfield about the attendees of the party

Sitting in his office after his recent hunt, looking over the last few papers needed before he retired for the rest of the night- his rest schedule was all over the place right now, but he had a cover to maintain that took priority over all else-, the man currently known as Alexander Grayson wasn't sure what recent development should occupy his thoughts more; his plans for the future, particularly after his first little victory over the treacherous, manipulative Order of the Dragon, or his meeting with Mina Murray.

The idea that had returned to him might be a foolish wish- Mina's resemblance to her was fascinating, but that was on an intellectual level only, surely-, but it was enough to make him wonder about the possibilities; he had been alone for so long… her memory tainting every attempt to create something new…

"Sir?" a voice said, prompting Dracula to look up and see Renfield standing at the door of his room, his usually unflappable servant looking strangely uncertain. "There is a… Doctor Michael Emrys to see you? I have no record of an appointment-"

"It is all right; Doctor Emrys is an old associate," Dracula replied, smiling reassuringly at his servant; the name was different, but the similarities made the owner's identity clear. "Please, send him up; his business shall be concluded soon enough."

He had expected this, really; the man known as Emrys may be bound by rules and regulations that even he did not fully understand the purpose of, but just because he would not be permitted to use his powers to interfere did not mean that there was _nothing_ he could do in a situation. Coming to England had been a risky decision, but his interest in the Order of the Dragon surpassed his potential fear of what the man known as Merlin was capable of, particularly with his knowledge of Merlin's limitations.

In a way, he was rather fond of the other man. Like him, Emrys represented contradiction, a being of power who never sought it himself, a man who could be a powerful leader who deferred to others, and a man who claimed to be subject to some higher force that prevented him doing what he so clearly wished…

As the man in question walked into the room, Dracula smiled at the sight; he was wearing a sharp suit, and had a neatly trimmed beard, but in general his old associate now appeared merely a few years younger than Dracula himself appeared to be at present, rather than the old man he had been at their last encounter.

"Emrys," Dracula said, smiling at his guest.

"Vlad," the man once known as Merlin replied, returning Dracula's formal grin with one of his own. "You look well."

"As do you," Dracula replied, studying Emrys contemplatively. His associate's ability to control his aging as he wished was one of the few things about him that Dracula envied; his powers encouraged a complacency that Dracula felt he himself did not possess, constantly aware of his own limitations even as he worked out ways around them, but control of his age was a particularly interesting talent. "How fares your business?"

"What you'd expect," Merlin said, shrugging as he sat down in the chair opposite the vampire. "Talking of business, I was surprised to see you entering into this field; you were always more of a… man of action, in my experience."

"This is the action of the modern world, good Emrys; I have simply… changed my focus," Dracula replied. "And what of you? The title you introduced yourself with; is that real?"

"Naturally," the ancient warlock replied. "I have enough time to progress; with the right money, it isn't that hard to learn the appropriate skills."

"You are to be commended for your effort," Dracula said, smiling politely at him.

For a moment, the two sat in a silence that could have fitted an atmosphere of old acquaintances who merely liked each other's company or old adversaries who had no idea what to say when in a non-confrontational setting, before one of them broke it.

"Dracula," Emry said, looking firmly at him, "we're both too old to bother with these games, so I will cut to the chase; why are you here?"

"The Order of the Dragon," Dracula replied firmly.

"Ah," Emrys said, nodding in contemplative understanding as he looked at the count, before he came to a decision. "In that case, it makes it easier for me to disclose my reasons for coming here."

"Which are?" Dracula asked.

"My reason is a request I wish to ask of you," Emrys replied. "I can assure you that I will leave you to your business- within reason-, so long as you listen to what I have to say and accept my terms."

"I understand," Dracula said, smiling thoughtfully at Emrys; he had already assumed that the man before him was no lover or ally of the Order of the Dragon, but he was intrigued to know what could have inspired him to offer Dracula something as valuable as non-interference. "What do you wish of me?"

"Lucy Westenra," Emrys said, looking coldly at the count.

"You mean… Miss Mina Murray's friend, correct?" Dracula asked, looking upwards in thought for a moment; she had been polite enough company, but there was nothing there to immediately grab him with Mina in the picture. "What of her?"

"Leave her alone," Emrys said firmly.

"Really?" Dracula said, suddenly intrigued at Emyrs's request; he had only peripherally registered Miss Westenra at the party the previous night, beyond her association with Mina, and had no intention of doing anything to her anyway, but if she was of such interest to Emrys it may be worth learning more about her. "Are you not forgetting-?"

"I am aware of the rules that prevent me from acting against you with my own power," Emrys said, his expression grim as he stared at the vampire, his eyes reflecting an intensity that made even Dracula hesitant despite his own advanced age. "However, you should also be aware that those rules merely prevent me using my abilities against you; they do _not_ prevent me, for example, from… eliminating you with my bare hands, shall we say?"

"You presume much, Emrys," Dracula said, his eyes narrowing as he looked at the other man. "I trust you are not forgetting that I was renowned for my skills as a warrior even before I became what I am-"

"And I spent my earlier years training with the most legendary warriors who have ever lived," Emrys retorted, staring firmly at Vlad. "I am out of practise, true, but I have been practising for longer than you have lived; if it came down to a straight fight, with each of us relying on our skills rather than our talents, it would be… difficult at best, shall we say?"

"Indeed," Dracul said, nodding in acknowledgement of Merlin's point; he may have a preference for his own country, but he had learned enough of Emrys's history to know that he had the potential to be a formidable combatant if they should ever engage a fight. "To ensure that we are both clear on the situation before us, name your terms."

"My conditions are simple," Emrys said, nodding in acknowledgement of his concession. "I will adhere to the rules and leave you alone, as I must… and you may request my aid against the Order of the Dragon if there is something about them that you cannot handle by yourself… but if I believe that you are intending _anything_ that would be dangerous towards Lucy Westenra, I will do everything I can to stop you."

For a moment, as he looked at the man who currently called himself Michael Emrys, the man now known as Alexander Grayson could see something more behind his old associate's request.

This was not the action of a man seeking to impose limitations on an enemy; this was the action of a desperate individual wishing to ensure that an associate would not do anything to jeopardise something that he had longed for and never expected to receive.

If he had received such a chance, regardless of his lack of understanding of how it came about, did not his long association with Emrys grant him the right to the same opportunity?

Van Helsing was a complicated ally, the two united by their hatred even as their fundamental goals differed, but Merlin…

Even if he had not lost anyone to the Order as Van Helsing had, the man before him was a man who understood Dracula as no other could; they had each lived through the centuries and seen the fall of the worlds they loved through the passing of time even as it left them untainted.

If Emrys was here, he would make a useful potential ally; if all he asked was the safety of one woman Dracula had no immediate intention of harming, he would accept that.

"Very well," he said, nodding at the other man. "You have my word; whatever else may occur during my business here, Lucy Westenra will remain… unharmed."

"And that _includes_ turning her," Emrys said, looking at him resolutely.

"You know of my thoughts on that matter," Dracula replied, slightly offended that the other man had even brought it up.

"I wanted it said; that's all," Emrys clarified, standing up and nodding politely at Dracula. "Thank you for your time, Mr Grayson."

"A pleasure as always, Doctor Emyrs," Dracula replied, their use of their aliases reflecting their acceptance of the other's terms.

He was puzzled at Emrys's request, but the motive for it wasn't important at this time; all that mattered was that his own plans could proceed unheeded, with the potential for an interesting ally available for future confrontations into the bargain…


	3. Second First Introduction

As he sat at his table in the Savoy, taking the opportunity to relax after a long day walking around the streets of London, Merlin tried to make up his mind about what he should do next.

Getting Dracula's word that he wouldn't do anything to harm Lucy might remove the most obvious potential threat, but that didn't mean there weren't others; the Order of the Dragon in particular could be an issue. Merlin was fairly confident that they didn't know about him- they had only come into existence a few centuries ago, and he'd taken care to remain fairly low-key, only engaging in actual work when he had to-, but there was no way to be certain that someone might not get lucky.

In a way, when viewed from outside, it was fascinating to consider how such a fight might unfold. The Order controlled matters of business, politics and oil in the present, and their power had grown considerably over the centuries since they were first established; Merlin might dislike their desire for power, but he had to admire their scope.

The question was how the vampire was going to actually stop them. Dracula certainly had the power and presence to oppose the Order, but he must have acquired the means to do so from someone else; he couldn't have been awake for too long, and he'd created a background that would explain why he didn't have any records of his past, but at the same time it wouldn't have been easy for a sixteenth century warlord to become that well-versed in nineteenth century technology…

Still, how Dracula had returned was an issue he wasn't prepared to confront right now; he wasn't prepared to or interested in acting against the Count at the moment, so Merlin had no reason to wonder about how he came back.

Right now, the only think that concerned Merlin was keeping an eye on Lucy Westenra.

Maybe it was slightly creepy, and he wasn't sure why he was doing it himself, but now that he knew Morgana lived again, he was curious to find out more about her new life. He'd looked in on her when he could over the last few days since Grayson's party, but his opportunity to talk with her was limited; it was hard to catch her on her own so that they could talk relatively freely. He'd watched the fencing tournament she'd attended with her mother and her friends, and had been slightly amused to see her offering her ribbon to one of the competitors; it wasn't the grand tournaments of Camelot, but she was showing her favour to her chosen champion as she had back in her days as Morgana, even if her choice had been a poor one (He'd been tempted to help her champion win, but had decided against it; he wanted to talk with her a bit first before he tried to help her out in that manner). The sight of her mother had been a surprise, but at least he had been able to assure himself that some things were different; he'd seen a few sketches of Vivienne during his later days in Camelot, and Mrs Westenra looked nothing like her.

With Dracula's wider plans against the Order naturally a mystery, Merlin was focusing his efforts on learning more about Dracula's actual plans regarding Mina Murray. He had observed Dracula's visit to the offices of The Inquisitor, and had overheard Dracula's interesting moral qualms about the idea of turning Mina; he might still wish to know her, but at least the vampire was clearly uninterested in forcing himself on Mina, and seemed willing to maintain their agreement that he would leave Lucy alone. His offer to Jonathan Harker was unexpected, but it was an interesting move on his part; encourage Mina to get close to him without forcing himself on her.

Personally, Merlin preferred Jonathan to Dracula- the man might be socially ambitious, but he had the advantage that he hadn't killed people out of his own personal issues-, but it wasn't exactly his place to make that call; he wasn't here to get involved in Dracula's personal issues, and even his actual mission was of little real interest to him. He had sensed a group of seers searching for something in the city earlier, but if they weren't looking for him it wasn't really something to worry about; he could deflect most attempts to search for him without even thinking about it.

Right now, as far as thought went, the only thing concerning him was to keep an eye on the small group he had followed here. Observing Lucy and Mina while out for a walk, Merlin had decided to follow them, and witnessed them collect Jonathan before heading for the Savoy. With their destination confirmed, Merlin had decided to follow them out of a lack of anything else to do with himself; he was in London for the foreseeable future, but he had enough money saved up over the centuries from artefacts acquired after Camelot fell to never really _need_ to work unless he wanted to.

It still sometimes felt strange to be dining at a table like this rather than serving it, but Merlin was generally able to push such feelings aside; habits from Camelot might have been hard to break, but he'd put them aside well enough. He still felt as though he _should_ be serving rather than dining when he first arrived in large rooms like this, but since he was never criticised about it, coupled with the scale of the differences between things now and the situation back in Camelot, it was a reaction that was easy enough to put aside.

He was just getting up from his table when he felt something strike him in the side, knocking him into his table before he could react.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," an achingly familiar voice said, prompting Merlin to look up at the speaker in shock, wearing a green dress that seemed almost translucent under a small green hat. "I was leaving and didn't see where I was going."

 _Morgana_ …

 _Lucy_!

Whatever she had been once, now the woman smiling apologetically at him was merely Lucy Westenra; she had no idea of who she had once been or what she had done in his old life, and he couldn't afford to bring it up.

"Quite all right," he said, smiling politely at her as he held out his hand. "I'm Doctor Michael Emrys; it's a pleasure to meet you, Miss…"

"Westenra," Lucy replied with a smile of her own, as she took his offered hand and shook it. "Lucy Westenra."

It felt so strange to be giving a fake name to Morgana, but his true name had become so familiar over the centuries that it would have attracted questions he couldn't answer, even if she didn't remember who she was now; he had made contact, and he'd have to go along with the deception now.

"You're a doctor?" Lucy said, smiling at him as he straightened his coat.

"Yes, I am," Merlin replied with a smile. "Why do you ask?"

"Just a coincidence," Lucy explained, as she indicated the table that she had left, with Mina and Jonathan getting up themselves to head for the door. "We were just having a dinner to celebrate my friend passing her course; she's a medical student herself, you see."

"Really?" Merlin said, smiling politely at her; he might know this already, but he had to act like he didn't. "Good for her; that's always a challenging field."

"Thank you," Lucy said, smiling at him in a manner that managed to be warm and teasingly seductive at the same time, before she looked curiously at him. "Have we… met before? Forgive me, but you seem… familiar…"

"Oh, you probably saw me at Alexander Grayson's party last week," Merlin said, seizing on the best explanation and hoping for the best. "I noticed you and your friends there myself, but I was nearer the back; you probably missed me."

"I see," Lucy said, smiling at him. "And what prompted your invitation to Mr Grayson's little soiree?"

"Just… history, really," Merlin said with a slight shrug. "Alexander Grayson and I are… old acquaintances; we knew each other long ago."

"Really?" Lucy said, smiling teasingly at him. "You can fill in some of the blanks about the mysterious Mr Grayson?"

"Not many, I fear; even when I knew him, Grayson was a blank slate," Merlin replied, smiling politely at her. "He's a very private man, but we enjoyed the chance to talk; we both have… similar experiences in our background."

As Lucy opened her mouth to ask another question, Merlin pulled out his pocket-watch and shook his head in frustration at the time. "Sorry, but I have to go; I have an appointment."

"Of course," Lucy said, looking slightly disappointed as he put his watch away. "Will I see you again?"

"Possibly," Merlin said, smiling politely at her. "A pleasure to meet you, Miss Westenra."

As he turned to leave the Savoy, Merlin allowed himself a brief smile at that latest turn of events. It might not have been his plan to make contact with Lucy at this time, but he'd established his presence and his cover identity for the moment; he'd take everything else as it came.


	4. Hard Memories

Walking along the street outside the Westenra household, Merlin wondered how things had become so complicated; he hadn't been this conflicted since his third year in Camelot, and the fact that the same person was involved just made it more complicated.

He might be facing a situation that was far more complicated than anything he'd dealt with Camelot- at least in the past he'd always had some idea of what he should do to protect the city, even if he'd made more than a few mistakes early in his time there-, but Merlin had to admit that he was actually finding this whole experience with Dracula in London to be rather interesting. Dracula's plan against the Order of the Dragon appeared to be going well, with the vampire having already acquired a greater controlling interest in some of the Order's business contacts, and he had also managed to disable the seers into the bargain (Merlin might not like the brutality of it, but he had been at war too long not to recognise the necessity of it).

Dracula had asked him about the possibility of searching for information about Lady Jayne's activities, but Merlin had declined; most of his methods of acquiring information relied on straightforward spying, which was nothing that Dracula couldn't do himself, and he wasn't comfortable with surveillance spells as they often required calling up other creatures that may have their own agendas. He was privately relieved that Dracula hadn't asked him about protection from sunlight; most likely, the count didn't want to be totally dependent on a magic that only he could recreate, when he had allies working on a serum that could be recreated by anyone afterwards.

Right now, the only thing concerning Merlin was Lucy's safety. She and Mina had certainly been getting around over the last few days, ranging from a trip to the Officer's Ball yesterday- the white dress with purple gloves she'd worn to the Savoy was an odd taste, but she made an interesting impression nevertheless- to the club she'd gone to last night.

Quite frankly, that club just represented Merlin's key frustration with the modern world; why was it that people these days had such a fascination with potentially toxic substances? It sometimes seemed like Camelot was the only society he'd ever encountered where people didn't consume narcotics for power, or at least the delusion of it…

Still, at least Dracula had stepped in before anyone involved did something anyone would regret; he might be ambiguous about the count's motives, but he wasn't yet ready to let Lucy know the extent of his interest with her, particularly when he was still trying to define it himself.

Dracula showing up hadn't been the only surprise the count had provided Merlin. For a vampire, Dracula's talk of forgiveness was surprisingly passionate; Merlin had to commend him for his decision to focus on what was best for Mina rather than just what he wanted.

He almost wished that he could be as certain in his motives as Dracula was, given his current uncertainty about where his interest in Lucy originated from; was he interested in her to save Morgana where he'd once failed, or was he becoming interested in her for her sake…?

Trying to shake such thoughts aside, Merlin turned his attention to the weightier issue of Dracula's continued vendetta against the Order of the Dragon. The death of the seers ran the risk of bringing more vampires to Britain, but he'd worry about that if it became a concern; he doubted that Dracula would allow anyone to run rampant, considering his implied distaste of even his own condition…

"Doctor Emrys?" Lucy's voice said, breaking his train of thought as he turned to look at her, the woman in question walking up to him with a smile. "What are you doing here?"

"Just walking around," Merlin said, shrugging slightly before he looked more sympathetically at her. "I heard about what happened with your friends; you have my sympathies for being caught in such a situation."

"It's not important," Lucy said, shrugging at his comment. "He turned out to be an idiot, after all; Mina's better off without him."

"On behalf of my gender, I would like to point out that people make mistakes," Merlin said, looking pointedly at Morgana's reincarnation; getting caught up in the idea that people were all the same was one of the things that had led to Morgana's fall, after all.

"To the point of saying that he never took her ambitions seriously?" Lucy asked, looking critically at him. "I have never fully understood her interests, but I admired them, and he said that she should just give them up…"

"People can make bad choices when it comes to relationships," Merlin said, looking solemnly at her. "My best friend once abandoned the woman he loved because he believed that she had betrayed them- circumstances had been manipulated to give a poor impression; it's a long story-, but after witnessing another man lose the woman he loved, my friend realised that what had once happened between them didn't matter, so long as he was with her."

"From you've said, he just made a mistake-" Lucy began.

"And who's to say that Jonathan Harker didn't make a mistake too?" Merlin pointed out. "Maybe he doesn't understand her ambitions now, but he could learn to understand them later; if he truly loves her, he deserves the chance to understand her."

After a moment's thoughtful silence, Lucy smiled thoughtfully at him.

"Talking of… romantic ties," she said, grinning at him in the teasing manner that was so familiar from Morgana's more innocent days, "is there anyone special in your life?"

"No," Merlin said, shrugging slightly. "They're… well, they're not here any more."

"Nobody's here?" Lucy said, sensing the underlying implications of his chosen words. "You… have no family yourself?"

"No," Merlin said, shrugging at her. "My father left before I was born because his family had… made a bad impression on the locals… and my mother died a while ago; I never had any siblings."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Lucy said, looking sympathetically at him, initial amusement forgotten.

"It wasn't too bad," Merlin said with a smile. "When I left home, I ended up staying with an old friend of my parents, and my original employer went on to become the closest thing I ever had to a brother, to say nothing of my… co-workers."

"Employer?" Lucy said uncertainly. "I thought you said you were a doctor?"

"I am," Merlin said with a smile; his makeshift cover story was a bit of a stretch, but he thought it would work. "However, while I was making my way through medical school, I also worked as a… manservant… for a wealthy family; even if my title was never officially amended, I went on to become one of his closest friends and advisors, right up until his death."

"It sounds like you had an interesting life, anyway," Lucy said, smiling at him once again. "Was there… anyone special during that time?"

"Not… for definite," Merlin said, shrugging awkwardly; it would have been easier to lie and say that there had never been anyone, but he just couldn't lie to Morgana when she was looking at him like that, after all the harm that lies had done to their past relationship. "There were two women I might have had… something… with, but one of them died as a result of an illness, and the other…"

He sighed, not even attempting to conceal his pain at the memory, the love he'd never admitted even to himself making that long-ago loss all the more painful even with the subject now returned to him. "Well, mistakes were made on both sides; I'd rather not discuss it in more detail."

"Oh," Lucy said, reaching out to place a sympathetic hand on his shoulder before she turned around, her eyes widening and her grip on his shoulder tightening as she gasped. For a moment Merlin thought that she had seen something dangerous, but then he followed her gaze and saw what she was looking at; Mina Murray and Jonathan Harker, kissing in the street just outside Lucy's house.

"Well," Merlin said, smiling over at Lucy as the other couple parted for Jonathan to give Mina a brief twirl, "it would appear that Mr Harker has apologised."

The situation was still complicated, but at least people were coming together now; even if Merlin had no idea where he stood or felt regarding Lucy, he knew of one person whose life was working out as it should.


	5. Rules of the Truce

The more Merlin heard about Alexander Grayson's plan to host Jonathan Harker and Mina Murray's engagement dinner, the more certain he was that he had to be there.

The idea might be a risk, but Merlin felt that it was an acceptable one; he'd already established credentials as an associate of Alexander Grayson's, and he'd met with Lucy in that capacity, so at least nobody could say that he didn't have _some_ kind of right to be there when the time came, even if it was a questionable one.

As far as the current situation went, Merlin had to confess to being impressed at how Dracula was handling things; Dracula continued his campaign against the Order, and as far as Merlin could tell, the vampire's enemies had no idea that Alexander Grayson and the vampire that had arrived in London were the same person.

Admittedly, Dracula's relationship with Lady Jayne was a risky part of that plan, but Merlin was satisfied to leave it to develop on its own; Dracula knew what he was doing and Lady Jayne's association with the Order didn't give him any interest in protecting her from what was about to happen, even if Dracula's plan was particularly complex.

Maybe it was a darker attitude than he might have adopted back in Camelot, but he'd been through a lot since those days; when dealing with the Order, who destroyed lives in the name of their own success, he was less inclined to be sympathetic.

It was a reflection of how he'd changed since those days, he supposed; he liked to think he'd held on to his idealism over the years, but he knew that he'd come to recognise that morally grey areas were sometimes needed to get what you wanted. Continuing that idea, he was actually surprised that he was this willing to work with Dracula considering how things had turned out for him when he'd tolerated Morgana's presence in Camelot, but the difference between then and now was that he knew what to expect from Dracula.

Morgana and Dracula might both be dangerous, but unlike Morgana back in Camelot, the count had a certain honour no matter what else he was, which meant that he wouldn't try to violate their deal by attacking him or Lucy unless Merlin did something to break their guarded truce himself.

On the long term, Merlin was still concerned about the possibility of other vampires coming to London, but he wasn't that worried about that; the Order of the Dragon might have reprehensible motives, but their vampire hunters were extremely efficient at dealing with the average vampire that was incapable of thinking beyond its next meal. Dracula might be able to operate on a tactical level far above the rest of his kind, but other vampires were far less rational; at least he had proof that Dracula would deal with such vampires if they posed a threat to his plan, regardless of their past connection to him.

Dracula's clear disinterest in relying on straightforward murder to carry out his plans was one of the few things that made Merlin feel comfortable about the apparent progress of Dracula's sunlight 'vaccine'. He'd been discreetly observing Dracula's manor earlier, and had noticed Dracula testing his hand in sunlight; the fingertips had apparently caught on fire after a few moments, but that was still positive progress.

And talking of progress, he should probably get on with sorting out his cover; if he was going to be staying in London for the immediately foreseeable future, he should see about finding somewhere for him to could establish a practise…


	6. The Engagement Party Chat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A couple of slight changes of canon here; see if you can note what they are, but this _is_ the point where I'm going to start to change things where Lucy's concerned in particular…

The more time Merlin spent observing Dracula and Lucy Westenra, the more he reflected that he hadn't had this much fun (Relatively speaking) since Camelot. Even if he lacked any proper allies and had his doubts about his current one, things were certainly interesting; the Order had no idea what was going on, Dracula's plans were making subtle yet significant progress, and he felt like he was establishing an effective yet subtle rapport with Lucy.

Admittedly, some of his secret observations had turned up some disturbing elements of Dracula and Van Helsing's activities, but only some of it was an issue so far. The news that they were experimenting on other vampires to develop Van Helsing's solar vaccine was a bit of a shock, but Merlin trusted them both not to let that vaccine get out unless they trusted the vampire not to be indiscriminate.

When thinking on their work against the Order, Merlin wondered what they could expect after Renfield's recent abduction. Even if Dracula had handled it fairly quickly, it had still been a very unexpected turn of events, although Merlin had found it reassuring in a strange way; not only would Renfield eventually recover from his injuries, but the warlock had to admit that he admired Dracula's concern for his associate, despite the traditional vampire's disdain for humans.

The only thing that he didn't like about Dracula's recent actions was how close the situation had come to turning dangerously against him. So far his guarded truce with Dracula had worked out mainly because neither of them actually needed the other to do anything, but he was privately dreading the moment when things reached a point where Dracula felt the need to ask for his help…

Still, right now he wasn't interested in worrying about the vampire's agenda; he was just focused on enjoying his time at the Harker/Murray engagement party. Not only was it an interesting party- the first such gathering he'd been to for some time- but it was somewhat amusing to see so many members of the Order of the Dragon under the roof of their main adversary without anyone knowing about it. He might have been uncomfortable when dealing with known adversaries in Camelot, but back then the adversaries had always been the ones in control of the situation; it was a completely different 'kettle of fish'- where had that phrase come from?- when the host was the one in control.

Besides, anything that gave him a chance to see Lucy again was a welcome turn of events. The golden gown she was wearing was the most elegant thing Merlin had seen her in since they'd met; if it weren't for her blonde hair, she could have almost been mistaken for Morgana back in his early years in Camelot…

Shaking that thought aside, Merlin brought his attention back to his current observations on Dracula; Lucy might be the more pleasant topic, but he had other matters to occupy his attention right now. Jonathan's speech had been an interesting moment- at least it reaffirmed his acceptance of Mina for who he was- but Merlin wouldn't deny that he'd been a bit anxious when Jonathan invited Dracula to dance with Mina; for all that Dracula was the most noble vampire he'd ever encountered, he was still a vampire, and he could be very… territorial… under the right circumstances…

When Dracula had walked away from the dance, Merlin wasn't ashamed to admit that he'd been relieved to see it; the vampire was still a risk, even if it was a calculated one, considering the power and influence of the Order. After taking a moment to confirm that none of the Order were looking at him or the door where Dracula had gone, Merlin walked over to the room, knocked on the door, and then walked in, smiling politely at the vampire as the room's sole resident turned to look at him.

"Hello, Vlad," Merlin said, nodding politely at him. "Good to see you again."

"It is good to see you too, Emrys," Dracula said, nodding politely at him. "I trust you appreciated my invitation?"

"Naturally," Merlin said, smiling politely at the vampire before he looked more curiously at his associate. "May I ask why you invited me?"

"I felt that it would facilitate your association with Miss Westenra if she knew of your… other connections in this city," Dracula said, smiling at him in understanding. "She is a most… charming companion; I see why you enjoy spending time with her."

"She has her moments, certainly," Merlin said, nodding politely at Dracula; as long as his trust of the Count remained guarded and uncertain, he wouldn't risk telling the Count the true origin of his interest in Lucy, particularly since the Count's own interest appeared to be merely casual so far. The Count may harbour his suspicions about Mina's resemblance to Ilona- he'd only seen pictures of the woman in question, considering that the Count had attracted Merlin's attention only after her death, but they were detailed enough to make the resemblance to Mina Murray clear- but nobody had ever seen an image of Morgana, and Merlin was going to keep it that way. "I believe she arranged this gathering?"

"Miss Murray was uninterested in making the arrangements herself; arrangements naturally fell to Miss Westenra," Dracula explained. "I haven't seen you around recently; where have you been?"

"Getting myself re-established," Merlin replied. "Like you said yourself, I need connections in this city if I'm going to get anywhere; I'm working on setting up a private practise somewhere in the neighbourhood."

"Feel free to let me know if there is anything I can to assist you in that regard," Dracula said.

"I'll keep that in mind," Merlin replied neutrally; Dracula's aid might be useful, but he wasn't sure he trusted the count enough to put himself further in the vampire's debt than he already was…

"Actually, there was something I wanted to talk with you about," he said, his prior thoughts on trust reminding him of something else he wished to discuss with the vampire.

"What would that be?" Dracula asked politely.

"You recently betrayed your friend," Merlin said, his eyes narrowing as he looked at the vampire, previous attempts at civility forgotten.

"You were aware of that?" Dracula said, looking at him in surprise.

"I was keeping myself alert for the appearance of additional vampires since your own arrival in London; a vampire of that age was hard to miss," Merlin clarified, his gaze remaining fixed on Dracula. "Would you like to clarify _why_ you did that?"

"Josef was uncontrollable and dangerous-" Dracula began.

"I'm not denying that his survival put your plans at risk; what I object to is the idea that you were so quick to dismiss him," Merlin said, still looking intently at Dracula. "I am willing to accept your presence in England, but I have to know that I can trust your word-"

Merlin was cut off as Dracula's hand was suddenly clenched around his throat, the count glaring at him as he dangled in the vampire's hand.

"You doubt me?" the vampire practically spat at Merlin. "After I-"

Merlin retaliated with a brief but powerful telekinetic blast that knocked Dracula off-balance, leaving the vampire forced to release his grip from surprise as Merlin quickly regained his balance, a fireball blaring in his hand as he looked at Dracula.

"I may be forbidden to kill you, but there is a great deal I can do to you without going that far," he said, staring firmly at Dracula. "Now then, can we talk about this?"

Dracula remained tense for a moment, but then he slightly relaxed and nodded.

"Very well," he said, looking at Merlin in a polite, inquiring manner. "What do you wish to ask?"

"Why you betrayed him now," Merlin said.

"The Order were aware that there was an elder in London and Josef's habits and feeding methods were too brutal not to attract unwarranted attention," Dracula explained, his tone the direct one of a man who knew what he had done and was not ashamed of it. "He was a powerful warrior, but he is no more than a warrior; he would have been unable to contribute anything to my campaign at this stage as his mind simply did not work that way, while his sacrifice has served to maintain my secret and put the Order off-guard."

"I see," Merlin said, nodding in brief understanding at the vampire. "So… he was simply of more use to you this way?"

"If you fear for Miss Westenra being victim of the same choice at some later date, do not," Dracula said, looking firmly at Merlin. "She is of no immediate use to me on her own at this time, but her value to you makes her extremely useful; I give you my word that she will remain unharmed by my actions."

"Good," Merlin said after a moment's pause, extinguishing the fireball as he nodded politely at Dracula.

It might not be completely reassuring to know that Lucy's safety depended on his own importance to Dracula, but at least he knew that he would always be potentially useful to the vampire; even if he wasn't aiding the vampire yet, nobody else could do what he could do…

"We're never going to be totally comfortable with each other, are we?" he said, looking at Dracula with a grim smile.

"Hardly," Dracula replied, nodding back at Merlin. "Our goals are essentially similar, but our motives differ enough to make conflict virtually inevitable at some point."

"I do not consider you my enemy," Merlin said.

"Nor do I consider you mine," Dracula replied. "We are not friends, but we are… acquaintances; we share enough to know that we do not want to be on opposite sides of the board, but we will never fight together. I trust we can agree on that?"

"Quite," Merlin said, smiling thoughtfully at the count.

As Dracula had said, they would never be friends, but they would at least always know what the other one wanted of them and know when not to push their luck; in a situation like this, that awareness was the best either of them could hope for.

"Now then," Dracula said, adjusting his suit as he looked politely at Merlin, "if you would care to join me, I believe there is an excellent champagne waiting for us?"

"Can you-?" Merlin began, curious despite himself.

"In small doses," Dracula replied with a polite nod at Merlin. "The taste provides a… diversity to my diet, even if I gain little real sustenance from it."

"I see," Merlin said, nodding politely at the count. "In that case, lead on."

Their exact relationship with each other might be difficult to define, but they could share a civil drink with each other if nothing else.

As she looked at the bearded stranger standing in one corner of the room, sipping at his champagne as he studied the rest of the assembled guests, Lucy wondered what she should be more concerned about; the way that Doctor Michael Emrys had of ingratiating himself into so many situations since Alexander Grayson's arrival, or the fact that she didn't actually mind it that much.

She couldn't explain it, but every time she spoke with Doctor Emrys, no matter how briefly those encounters had been or how few of them had taken place, she had a feeling that there was more to him than what he was telling her; nothing he had said gave the impression of being a lie, but at the same time she had the strangest feeling of _déjà vu_ …

It wasn't that Mina's engagement to Jonathan didn't hurt- as much as she'd accepted that her friend would never see her that way, losing even the hope of something happening was still upsetting- but even here, at Mina's engagement party, seeing her preparing to marry one man and welcoming the attentions of another into the bargain, something about Doctor Emrys made her feel…

Every moment she spent with him felt as though she had reunited with someone she hadn't even known she was missing. Even as she worked to arrange the engagement party to conceal how she really felt, frustrated when Mina expressed more interest in some strange blood samples rather than the party, she had somehow found herself feeling more… controlled… when she met with Mina in the lecture hall than she had expected, all because she had the memory of Doctor Emrys to remind her of someone who _did_ have interest in her…

It was ridiculous to feel that… _invested_ in someone she'd only met a few times so far, but the enigmatic Doctor Emrys was so unlike any man she'd met, uninterested in social advancement, clearly comfortable with where he was and what he was, so many little mysteries behind him even as the essential details were presented…

She didn't know what had prompted him to seek her out after their first meeting in the Savoy, but she knew that she was grateful for it; after so long dealing with society boys only interested in showing off, Doctor Emrys's simple politeness made them all seem so… petty was the only word she could think of. Where they spent their time milling around and living off the accomplishments of their ancestors, he had made a genuine effort to take control of his life and accomplish something with it.

She supposed that view could account for at least some of her interest in him- as with Mina, he sought to really make something of himself rather than accept the positions society had placed him in- but she had encountered other medical students and never been struck by such a powerful impression as this; what _was_ it about this man that made her so interested in him…?

Deciding not to worry about it any more than she had to, Lucy accepted the next invitation to dance and decided to focus on more immediate matters; the mysterious Michael Emrys could wait until she'd finished enjoying her own party.


	7. The First New Dream

Looking thoughtfully after Dracula's carriage as it departed from the Solarium, Merlin allowed himself a slight smile at what had just taken place.

Under normal circumstances, he would have been concerned at the fact that a vampire had overcome his vulnerability to sunlight, but in Dracula's case, so long as he remained focused on the Order of the Dragon, Merlin was willing to go along with it; regardless of his history as both a human and a vampire, Dracula had never killed innocent people (What he did to enemy soldiers in life was questionable, but you had to apply different standards to a man at war), so Merlin doubted he'd start using his immunity to sunlight to go on a mass murder spree.

Besides, this latest victory marked an important step in his conflict with the Order. The Order might have their doubts about Alexander Grayson, but they had no evidence that he was anything more than an American industrialist whose interests happened to conflict with their own; even if he didn't appear in the sunlight on a regular basis, the fact that he was capable of doing so would stop them suspecting him in the future.

Talking of progress being made, he had been amused to see Lucy's brief talk with 'Alexander Grayson' over last night's dinner entertainment. Considering her past as Morgana, it was interesting to see Lucy so immediately dismissive towards parlour magic, even if she didn't know what she was capable of (Assuming she was capable of anything; he wasn't clear if magical ability belonged to the spirit or the body anyway). It had been slightly worrying to see her going over to Lady Jayne's table later, but Merlin would worry about that later; he had enough faith in Lucy's strength of personality to hope that she wouldn't dive into anything too suddenly.

On a more positive note, Jonathan and Mina still seemed to be enjoying themselves, which gave Merlin a degree of satisfaction; after being forced to see Arthur and Gwen's relationship cut short, he enjoyed the chance to see another happy couple come together, regardless of any complexities in their relationship. From what he'd heard of the meeting, Dracula's work was also going well; apparently the vampire had discovered a company that produced a metal that could be useful in solving some of his generator's power production problems, and had taken steps to acquire it by beating the owner in a poker game.

The news that a meeting of Dracula's company stockholders would take place at noon had been a brief period of concern for Merlin- even if he wasn't invested in Dracula's victory, he didn't want to see the vampire killed in such a pointless manner-, but apparently the vampire's faith in Van Helsing had paid off. Discretely observing the meeting in the Solarium, Merlin had been rather amused to witness so many members of the order so absolutely shaken at the sight of Grayson in the sunlight, even if he'd been forced to keep the meeting brief to avoid putting himself at risk of sunburn.

Things might have been close- from what he'd seen, Dracula had sustained some nasty burns in the time there-, but Dracula was still alive; any burns that had been sustained could be healed by a quick feeding, and they now had something that they could work on improving.

* * *

If Lucy had needed any further proof that she was beginning to get over her feelings for Mina, her reaction to Lady Jayne's comment had proved it. The woman's knowledge of her feelings for Mina had been intriguing, to say the least, as was the idea of having the chance to test Mina's feelings for her in return, but even with Jayne's talk of 'commonplace urges', she wasn't going to force herself on her friend on the advice of a woman she barely knew.  
  
Whatever she felt for Mina, Mina had made her choice, and she would accept it; whatever issue she had with Jonathan, Mina clearly loved him…  
  
Besides, as much as she was surprised to find herself thinking about them, Doctor Emrys's words about how his friends had nearly lost each other because of one mistake had made a particular impact on her. She might be ignorant of the reasons for Doctor Emrys's old friend having made that mistake the enigmatic doctor had talked about, but she wasn't going to do anything that would result in her friend having to go through something like that.  
  
Lady Jayne's suggestion that she confess her feelings to Mina had been tempting, but even as she'd left their meeting with the thought of doing so in her mind, the following evening she'd been plagues by nightmares of Mina not only rejecting her, but subsequently doubting everything they'd been through because of this new revelation…  
  
They might have been nightmares, but it had been enough to turn her off the idea of telling Mina the truth; she would rather retain Mina's friendship for certain than risk it on the possibility of something that may never happen.  
  
Besides, as she spent more time with Doctor Emrys, she began to realise that she could have a life outside of Mina.  
  
She'd been fascinated by Mina for so long she'd never given anyone else serious thought, but at the same time, she had been finding herself thinking more about the mysterious Doctor Emrys every time she met him. He might be a doctor, but he seemed to make himself more open to things outside the medical profession; Mina's interest in an anomalous sample had been interesting in its way, but she still couldn't fully understand it.  
  
In all her conversations with Doctor Emrys, he never discussed his work beyond the essentials- she'd heard rumours at the engagement party that he was opening a practise in London-, but demonstrated an awareness of others and a unique perspective on life, to say nothing of his mysterious past and his genuine interest in talking with her for her own sake…  
  
She might be making a hasty assumption on that last assumption, but Lucy felt comfortable making it; they'd had some interesting talks, and so far Doctor Emrys had never said a word suggesting that he was interested in her for her family's resources or anything of that nature.  
  
The good doctor might be as enigmatic as his associate, but unlike Alexander Grayson, Doctor Emrys showed a willingness to cultivate new friendships for reasons other than business purposes; she couldn't think of anyone Grayson had spoken to on a long-term basis he didn't have a professional relationship with. From what she'd seen and heard of him, he only spent time with people if he genuinely wanted to spend time with them; other factors like what they could do for him in return were never considered.  
  
He was such a contrast from the world she had known for so long- one reason she had always liked spending time with Mina was that Mina never expected anything more from her than the pleasure of her company, and had actually become hostile the one time Lucy had brought up the offer of financial help-, but at the same time, there was something familiar about him…


	8. Warnings and Requests

As intimidating as it was to learn that Dracula had overcome his kind's primary weakness, in a strange way, Merlin was glad that his associate's plans had taken such a crucial step forward. The vampire's other weaknesses might remain intact, and the serum's effectiveness might be limited, but so long as nobody had reason to believe he was anything other than a human, now that they had a working sample, they could continue to work on improving it, particularly with Dracula's wireless electrical transmission continuing to improve.

With Renfield having left Britain for some unspecified business abroad, Merlin was wondering how Dracula intended to handle most of the business that Renfield normally did for him, but personal issues like that were something that Dracula could worry about himself.

Merlin had to admit, he was actually impressed at seeing how things were going for his old acquaintance. Seeing a vampire walking in the sunlight was a slight surprise, but it was still interesting to hear him talk about the care of patients in hospitals, even if Merlin was still concerned about his continuing game with Lady Jayne; that anti-sunlight serum would only last for so long, after all…

Still, Lady Jayne was Dracula's problem and Dracula's alone; Merlin was only concerned about her actions insofar as they affected Lucy Westenra, and Merlin was going to make sure that she never had the chance to 'influence' Lucy away from her real friends.

He'd practically handed Morgana over to Morgause; even if Lady Jayne's attempts to influence Lucy were only an impulsive decision, he wasn't going to make _that_ mistake again…

* * *

As she stood outside Lady Jayne's house, Lucy wondered what exactly she was doing here; she'd never even bothered to follow up on Lady Jayne's advice, after all…  
  
Actually, now that she thought about it, her actions made little sense even to her. When she'd contemplated confronting Lady Jayne with the fact that Mina had told her she didn't feel that way about her- she was convinced of that based on her dreams, even if it sounded like a weak explanation when voiced out loud-, she had spent the last night hearing Lady Jayne dismissing Mina as a coward afraid of her own desires, but as much as she wanted to believe the older woman's words, she _knew_ Mina too well to neatly pigeon-hole her in such a matter, and she just couldn't see herself wanting to hurt Mina just because she'd been hurt because of something Mina couldn't control…  
  
"Miss Westenra?" a familiar voice said, prompting Lucy to turn around and smile at the sight of Doctor Michael Emrys walking up to her with a concerned expression. "Are you all right?"  
  
"Just… a few bad dreams," Lucy said, shrugging slightly as she looked at the enigmatic doctor with a reassuring smile.  
  
"Bad dreams?" Emrys repeated, looking at her with a sceptical smile. "And those dreams prompted you to come here?"  
  
"You disapprove?" Lucy asked, looking at him inquiringly.  
  
"I wonder at the wisdom in relying on anything this woman has to say about something as personal as your dreams," Emrys replied, returning her anxious stare with a pointed glare. "Unless I miss my guess, you and I have actually been talking for longer than you have been having conversations with Lady Jayne-"  
  
"How do you know that?" Lucy asked, looking sharply at him, suddenly concerned that she was dealing with a disturbing stalker.  
  
"I was curious to learn more about the people that my associate was spending time with; when you read the newspapers, it isn't that hard to find out where she's been and where you've been, and you never had an opportunity to interact before Grayson's debut," Emrys said, looking firmly at Lucy. "The point is that I wouldn't recommend relying on the advice of someone when you don't know their motives; someone like Lady Jayne always has an agenda."  
  
"And you don't?" Lucy replied, looking pointedly at him.  
  
"My agenda is simply to give you another perspective to listen to; while I would hope you would listen to me, I am not insisting that you do so," Doctor Emrys clarified. "Lady Jayne has her own reasons that I would not like to speculate on, but I doubt that they are done solely to benefit you; don't play into her hands so easily."  
  
For a moment, Lucy looked uncertainly at Doctor Emrys for a moment, lost in thought as she contemplated his words, before she spoke again.  
  
"My dreams…" she said, not entirely sure why she was saying this, but feeling none of the apprehension she'd felt about approaching Lady Jayne on this same topic as she spoke. "They were about… how a friend would react to something I said…"  
  
"It was Miss Murray, wasn't it?" Doctor Emrys said.  
  
"What-?" Lucy began, shocked at the ease with which he made that statement.  
  
"I'm something of a student of human nature; it wasn't that hard to notice the attention you pay to her in particular when you're in a group," Emrys said, smiling at her with a casual grin. "You don't have to discuss it if you don't want to, I assure you; I just thought we'd get that out of the way."  
  
"Oh," Lucy said, lost for anything else to say as she looked hesitantly at the strange doctor. "You… you aren't…?"  
  
"Disgusted at the idea?" Doctor Emrys said, looking at her with a reassuring smile. "I may fail to see the appeal of such relationships myself, Miss Westenra, but that doesn't mean I condemn them; what two people get up to in their own time is of no concern to anyone but them, so long as everyone involved is happy."  
  
His eyes narrowed as he looked more pointedly at Lucy. "Of course, if you had attempted to force unwanted attentions on Miss Murray, I would naturally take offense to _that_ , but as it is, you have not, so I will not."  
  
"They… aren't wanted?" Lucy said, looking at him in surprise, only just registering that the two of them had been walking away from Lady Jayne's house as they talked.  
  
"For the same reason that I noticed the attention you paid to her, I noted that she doesn't reciprocate that interest," Emrys clarified, looking apologetically at her. "I am sorry, Miss Westenra; I know how it feels for love to be unreciprocated."  
  
"Oh," Lucy said, falling into silence as she walked along with him for a few more moments before she looked more curiously at him once again, his calm acceptance giving her the nerve to ask another question. "I was told that those… urges… are natural?"  
  
"Natural?" Doctor Emrys repeated, looking at her with a slight surprise that answered her question before he'd even started speaking. "I wouldn't say 'natural' in the sense that _everyone_ has them, but if you're afraid that they mean you're some unnatural abomination, don't be; some people just aren't inclined towards the opposite gender while preferring the company of their own, and that's that."  
  
"But… how can you be sure?" Lucy asked, looking uncertainly at him.  
  
"Well, I wouldn't say I'm an expert on women or anything," Doctor Emrys replied with a smile, "but I can tell you that, when I worked for my friend, I also spent a great deal of time with his half-sister and his future wife- both of whom were as close as sisters to me- and neither of them ever expressed even the slightest _hint_ that they felt that way about another woman. It happens, I grant you, but not every woman feels that way at some point, just as there are only some men who would… prefer the company of men… rather than all of them."  
  
"Ah," Lucy said, looking back at Lady Jayne's house with a grim stare before she looked back at Doctor Emrys. "I suppose I must seem… foolish…"  
  
"Not at all, Miss Westenra," Emrys said, still smiling reassuringly at her. "Inexperienced, perhaps, but never foolish; you are only foolish if you choose not to learn, rather than if you have simply not had the chance to learn so far."  
  
Stuck for anything else to say to such a statement, Lucy leaned over and kissed Doctor Emrys on the cheek, smiling thankfully at him.  
  
"Thank you for listening," she said, smiling warmly at him. "I…"  
  
"You have no need to thank me, Miss Westerna," Doctor Emrys said, smiling back at her. "The pleasure of your company is enough."

* * *

As Lucy walked into her house as their walk concluded, leaving him to direct his attention back to the building where he was working on establishing his current practise, Merlin found his thoughts dominated by what he had just discovered.  
  
Morgana's reincarnation liked _women_?  
  
It had only been a theory when he originally came up with it, but after having it confirmed, Merlin still wasn't sure how he should feel about this turn of events.  
  
He'd speculated that was the case for a while- after spending so much time seeing Arthur and Gwen do the 'staring wistfully at the person you can't be with' thing, it was hard to miss it later on- but thinking that you'd seen something and learning that you were right were two completely different things…  
  
It wasn't as though Merlin was unfamiliar with the idea- you picked up a few things after living for over a millennia, including deciding to try anything at least once- but he'd never managed to get the appeal himself; the thought of Morgana being that way inclined naturally was a bit of a surprise.  
  
Still, that wasn't something he should be worrying about right now; if he was going to get his practise off the ground and legitimise his presence here, he had patients to see.

* * *

As he walked away from the failed demonstration of Grayson's process, his meeting with the so-called 'Order of the Dragon' dominating his thoughts, Jonathan had no idea what to think.  
  
Grayson had lied to him and manipulated him into ruining General Shaw's reputation, but even if the Order had appeared to be telling the truth, Grayson's example had reminded him that he had to be cautious when dealing with people. Everything that Browning had told him about the Order being willing to sacrifice their lives to ensure the completion of God's work sounded good, particularly his warnings about the Ottomans' interests in hoarding oil for a future war, but their dismissal of Grayson's efforts just felt a bit too… personal to him.  
  
After all, if even a few of the men at the table had the resources that Browning possessed, surely, if they were truly concerned about the future of oil, they could secure the oil fields themselves and take action when Grayson's efforts had failed?  
  
Even without his suspicions after that meeting, the 'attack' on the firm's factory had only reinforced Jonathan's idea; people were taking too extreme measures on too limited evidence for these 'assaults' against Grayson to be purely based around the belief that he was hindering the 'public good' or something like that. Personally, Jonathan doubted that police officer's claim that the device posed a health risk- surely if there was any danger, the workers closest to the machine would have been the ones poisoned first, rather than people in the general vicinity- but without any way of proving that theory one way or the other, he had only his own thoughts as basis for his theories…  
  
His progress towards the hospital was suddenly halted when a slender but authoritative man stepped out of a nearby alley, a neatly-trimmed beard on a pale face over a dark blue suit.  
  
"Mr Jonathan Harker?" the man said, looking firmly at him. "My name is Doctor Michael Emrys."  
  
"Really?" Jonathan said, looking at him in surprise, taking a moment to confirm his partial recognition. "I've heard of you… aren't you an associate of Alexander Grayson?"  
  
"We are old acquaintances, but we don't _work_ together, if that's what you're asking; we just have… some old ties based on past experiences," Doctor Emrys said, shrugging briefly as he spoke before he looked more firmly at Jonathan. "I came here to warn you that the Order cannot be trusted, Mr Harker."  
  
"And I should believe you?" Harker asked, looking pointedly at him; even if he had been having his own doubts, he wasn't going to accept whatever anyone had to tell him right now. "As I believe we just discussed, you were an associate of the man who used me-"  
  
"Alexander Grayson lied about Shaw taking bribes, but that was only one issue; there are other things Shaw's done that are less publically damning but no less dangerous," Doctor Emrys said, looking firmly at Jonathan. "Grayson's actions were questionable, but his intentions are better in the long-term than Shaw's ever were."  
  
Jonathan simply stared in silence at the doctor at that comment, until Emrys shook his head and sighed.  
  
"I acknowledge that you have no reason to believe me over them, but consider that, for one thing, I approached you in the street and am merely talking with you in public rather than all-but-abducting you to discuss things somewhere where I have all the power," the doctor said, looking firmly at Jonathan. "This situation is morally questionable, but what you have to decide is whether you wish to side with the people who would commit mass murder to maintain their own hold on power and the man whose actions so far have only been committed to retaliate against those who would suppress his attempt to give power to the world."  
  
"Mass murder?" Jonathan repeated, looking at Emrys in surprise. "But-"  
  
"They told you that they serve God, I presume?" Emrys said, smiling grimly at him. "The name of God has been used to justify many atrocities over the course of history, but I've found that there are very few occasions where that has been an honest statement; the Order once burned down a man's house with his entire family in it after he objected to something they had done… and left him alive so that he could live with the guilt, grief and pain of what his actions had caused."  
  
"What?" Jonathan said, staring at Emrys in horror.  
  
Grayson might have misled him when tracking down evidence of Shaw's activities, but the raw emotion on Doctor Emrys's face as he told his story just _couldn't_ be faked…  
  
"I am no saint, Mr Harker, and Mr Grayson is far from perfect either, but we have never attacked anyone who has not attacked us first; the Order would kill anyone whose existence was inconvenient for them in their quest to maintain their power," Emrys said, looking resolutely at Jonathan. "If you feel that you can't continue to work with Grayson, then you're free to leave, but do _not_ side with the Order; the consequences aren't worth it."  
  
With that statement, Doctor Emrys turned around and walked down another street, leaving Jonathan staring thoughtfully after the other man.  
  
He still didn't know what he was going to do with himself next, but the raw honesty of Doctor Michael Emrys's words had given him a _lot_ to think about…

* * *

Sitting in his study that night, as he stared at the book in his hands without any real desire to take in what was written there, Merlin contemplated his recent actions.  
  
He might have vowed not to get involved in Dracula's actions against the Order unless specifically asked, but when he'd witnessed the Order's men take Jonathan Harker in for a 'chat', he'd felt the need to step in; Camelot had fallen apart because people had listened to those who promised to deliver what they wanted rather than what they needed.  
  
For all his ambition to rise above his station, Jonathan Harker was a good man with potential; he would _not_ see that potential corrupted by the Order as Mordred's potential had been…  
  
"I understood you were staying out of my affairs unless asked?" a familiar voice said. Glancing behind him, Merlin's eyes briefly widened in panic at the sight of Dracula standing in the door of the room, blood staining his shirt and lips, but he quickly pushed his fear aside; Dracula's tone was too regular for his purpose here to be malevolent.  
  
"I take it you're referring to my meeting with Jonathan Harker?" Merlin asked, allowing Dracula to nod in confirmation before he continued. "My original statement still stands; I simply wished to ensure that Mr Harker did not make an impulsive decision that would go poorly for all concerned."  
  
"I see," Dracula said, looking curious for a moment before he made up his mind. "In that case, I have another question."  
  
"Ask away," Merlin replied with a brief nod.  
  
"Can you…" Dracula began, looking hesitant for a moment until he finished his statement, a sudden sense of desperation in his eyes that seemed at odds with what he was, "…cure me?"  
  
"Cure you?" Merlin repeated, looking puzzled for a moment until the vampire's meaning hit him. "Of… what you are, you mean?"  
  
"Yes," Dracula said, nodding at him. "My associate has told me that it is not possible to do so through science, but I wondered if-"  
  
"I can't help you," Merlin said, shaking his head as he looked apologetically at the vampire. "Believe me, if I could turn you back to your human self, I would, but there's the whole issue of your status as a vampire to take into account…"  
  
"What do you mean?" Dracula asked, looking pointedly at Merlin, evidently wishing to learn what his vampire nature had to do with his request.  
  
"One of the greatest and most dangerous powers of the Old Religion is the Power of Life and Death," Merlin explained; he wouldn't normally share this kind of information about his powers and limitations, but it was important that Dracula understand why he could do nothing. "With that power, life can be taken from one and given to another; it was used to conceive the life of King Arthur at the cost of his mother dying in childbirth, and I myself used it to save my mentor by killing his murderer… but unfortunately, since you aren't technically alive or dead, given that your heart has stopped but you're still walking and talking on your own, there's nothing I can do that would assist you with your desire."  
  
"I see; I am neither one nor the other, and therefore not covered by the rules of this power you describe," Dracula said, staring grimly at Merlin for a moment. "And… you are certain that there is nothing else that you could do for me?"  
  
"Nothing," Merlin said firmly.  
  
It was a slight lie, but it was only a slight one; theoretically, Merlin knew that he could possibly help Dracula with his condition if he could rediscover the Cup of Life, considering its ability to heal an individual's mortal injuries without cost to another, but given its status as a holy relic and the vampires' vulnerability to such items, Merlin wouldn't be surprised if the vampire ended up dead as soon as he drank from it.  
  
"Thank you," Dracula replied.  
  
"For what?" Merlin asked.  
  
"For giving me an honest answer," the vampire responded.  
  
With that statement delivered, he turned around and walked out of the room, leaving Merlin staring silently after him.  
  
He'd never really thought about the possibility of becoming normal himself- he had never once considered not using his magic throughout his time in Camelot, regardless of how many times he came close to being exposed, and after his magic had been briefly stripped from him by Morgana, he had vowed to never let something like that happen again-, but when he got down to it, his lifespan aside, he was still fundamentally human; how much worse would it be to want that humanity, and know it could _never_ be yours…?


	9. Saving Souls

Merlin couldn't believe it; he'd spent centuries dealing with nothing more serious than the occasional petty dispute, and now he found himself dealing with an increasingly complicated mess as Dracula's vendetta against the Order of the Dragon continued, and he wasn't even directly involved in it.

The main issue, he supposed, was the fact that he didn't know how far he should take this interest in the situation; right now, he was keeping an eye on the college where Mina was finishing some work because he suspected that she would soon be the Order's next target if she wasn't on the list already, but he had no idea how long he should do this until he felt comfortable leaving her alone once more.

The Order's acquisition of that painting of Dracula's wife was a point of concern, but there wasn't much that Merlin could do about that. There was a reason he'd gone to so much trouble to avoid his magic being exposed rather than simply erase anyone's memories if they came close to finding out about him; mental manipulation spells could be dangerous, particularly when dealing with people as paranoid as the Order who knew there might be something more out there.

Still… it _did_ create the possibility that they'd start to go after Mina just to get at 'Alexander Grayson', which was something that Merlin couldn't condone, even if he still wondered about the nature of Dracula's interest in Mina Murray; his own interest in Lucy might be based around his past relationship with Morgana, but his goal was solely to ensure her safety now that she had become involved in Dracula's plot against the Order, rather than pursuing her on his own…

On a wider note, while lower vampires continued to penetrate London, at least Lady Jayne was dealing with the more feral vampires easily enough; regardless of Merlin's distaste for the Order's principles, he couldn't deny that their training in such methods was effective. The only problem with the Order tracking down the approaching vampires was the risk that one of the vampires could reveal the identity of the Elder present in London, but again there was nothing that Merlin could do about that; the vampires wouldn't know his modern alias, which should give him enough of an edge to remain secret.

The Order's issues with Dracula were somewhat hypocritical, in Merlin's opinion- you don't create a monster and then complain when it turns on you; Mary Shelley's novel had made that issue clear if nothing else- but that was just another thing he couldn't afford to worry about when so much else had to be dealt with; Dracula and Van Helsing's work continued despite the Order's attempts to sabotage the initial demonstration, but Jonathan Harker was potentially going to start asking the wrong questions…

Still, from what Merlin had seen of Harker's activities since last night's meeting, he didn't seem to be thinking of doing anything too rash; Merlin just hoped that his warning about the danger of the Order of the Dragon's agenda had given Harker enough questions to convince him to keep his knowledge quiet unless he had to tell anyone. Grayson's actions might be questionable, but Harker was intelligent enough to recognise that he knew even less about the Order so long as he was given the chance to think without being emotionally manipulated; all Merlin needed to do was ensure he remembered those doubts until the time was right…

Thoughts of what others would do in the future had to be put aside when he saw four men walking towards the university, one of them with a distinctive mark on his face that could have been an injury or a birthmark that he recognised from one of Jonathan's earlier meetings with the Order.

If those men were here to improve their education, Merlin would eat Arthur's crown…

Muttering a quick spell of concealment over himself- true invisibility was one trick he'd never mastered, but this was a simpler affair that simply discouraged anyone from noticing him if they were focusing on something else and he didn't do anything to attract attention-, Merlin walked after the men as briskly as he could, following them as they entered the university and began to head towards the medical lecture rooms. Falling back slightly to decrease the risk of being caught, Merlin heard the faint but unmistakeable sounds of a struggle a short distance ahead, prompting him to halt as he dispersed that spell and activated another one.

His control over his physical age was one ability he'd never fully understand- he still wasn't entirely sure why his ability to age had ceased so long ago- but it did mean that his old 'Dragoon' disguise remained a useful asset when the situation called for it, and one of Lucy's friends in peril was definitely such a situation.

Helping Dracula take down the Order was something Merlin was reluctant to commit himself to- Uther and Morgana had certainly taught him the dangers of getting caught up in revenge- but saving an innocent life was something he could get completely behind.

Stepping into the lecture theatre in the guise of an old man, Merlin's eyes narrowed as he took in the four men standing over the unconscious Mina Murray, malevolent grins on their faces that clearly didn't bode well for Mina. As they turned to look at the new arrival, Merlin waved his arm and threw the three 'henchmen'- the man with the mark on his face was clearly their leader- into the seats around the theatre, leaving the leader standing alone over the fallen Mina.

"Going after a helpless woman?" Merlin said, his voice Dragoon's familiar, intimidating rasp as he glared at the other man. "And I thought the Order wouldn't bothered with some things…"

"Who are you?" the man said, looking at him in confusion, his gaze occasionally flicking to the men scattered around him.

"Who I am is not important," Merlin said, as he raised a hand to generate a ball of fire. "What _is_ important is that you threatened someone who is tied to my legacy, and if you do not cease your activities _now_ , I will ensure that your suffering will be _very_ great."

"Your legacy?" the man with the mark repeated, still confused despite the obvious fear in his eyes as he kept glancing at the fireball in Merlin's hand. "Miss Murray is your-?"

His response was cut short when Merlin thrust one hand forward and pinned the man with the mark to the ground, Merlin walking over in a slow, deliberate manner- why did this body have to be so stiff?- before he lowered his hand so that the fireball was hovering directly over his face.

"The precise nature of my connection to your target is unimportant," Merlin said, glaring down at the man as he stared up at the ball of fire. "What _is_ important is that, should you harm her or anyone she cares for… I will see to it that your agonies will only _begin_ with my share of the punishment."

Giving the man a moment to think about that, Merlin stepped back and extinguished the fireball in his hand, folding his arms and indicating the nearest door. "Now… get out of my sight."

As the man with the mark scrambled to his feet and ran for the door, Merlin turned his attention to the other three men that he'd rendered unconscious earlier. Judging by their attire, they weren't regular associates of the Order- the Order ensured loyalty by keeping their men comfortable; these people looked like they'd taken ages just to acquire the clothes on their backs- but he should make sure they wouldn't think about trying anything later. Moving to stand protectively over the still-unconscious Mina Murray, Merlin raised one hand and snapped his fingers, jolting the three men into consciousness as they stared at him in shock.

"Get out of London now, never seek to contact your current employers again, and no harm will come to you," Merlin said, raising a hand to generate a fireball once again as he spoke.

As the last of the men fled, Merlin returned to his usual appearance and turned his attention back to Mina, crouching down to pick her up and carry her out of the lecture theatre, grateful that she was still unconscious. A quick, simple spell would ensure that she remained that way- the only thing wrong with her was a knock on the head, and that was nothing that a bit of rest couldn't cure- until he could get her to a suitable hospital, and then he'd take it from there.

* * *

Jonathan Harker wasn't sure what was more disturbing when he heard an urgent knocking on his door at a ridiculously early hour of the morning and came down to find Doctor Emrys standing outside; the fact that the man had some reason to wake him up at this time of night, or the fact that he'd almost been expecting to see him again.  
  
"Doctor Emrys?" he said, looking at the man in confusion. "What-?"  
  
"Your fiancé has been attacked," the enigmatic doctor said.  
  
" _What_?" Jonathan said, earlier thoughts and concerns forgotten in the face of this shocking new information. "Who-?"  
  
"Affiliates of the Order of the Dragon," Doctor Emrys said, looking solemnly at him. "As I told you, they will do anything to achieve their ends… and, in this case, for all their fine words to you, their ends included attacking Mina Murray for reasons I cannot discern; I recognised the men responsible as the Order's agents, but that's all I can be sure of."  
  
"They… they _attacked_ her?" Jonathan said, suddenly filled with a rage he'd never experienced before. "Why-?"  
  
"Don't do anything you'll regret, Mr Harker; revenge will accomplish nothing but ensure that _you_ become a target," Doctor Emrys said, still looking at him in a solemn manner that made him seem far older than he looked otherwise. "I give you my word that I will ensure that those who went after Mina Murray are warned not to do it again; right now, the best thing that you can do is go to her and be there when she wakes up."  
  
"But… why?" Jonathan said, nodding in response almost automatically before realising what he'd just agreed to as Doctor Emrys turned to walk away. "Why would you-?"  
  
"Because I saw someone I cared about lose themselves to revenge once," Doctor Emrys said, turning around to look firmly at Jonathan. "If you do this, you will lose something you can never get back; I'm just doing this to help."  
  
There was nothing that Jonathan could say to that, and right now his priority had to be Mina anyway; no matter how confused he was about why the situation that Doctor Emrys had just told him about had happened, he had to at least confirm that it had taken place and learn Mina's condition before he did anything else.

* * *

Once again disguised as Dragoon, now dressed in a long dark robe and carrying his old Sidhe staff, Merlin strode up to the door of Lord Davenport's house, the lock slipping open with a neat twist of his hand; compared to the locks and doors he'd faced whenever he had to sneak in and out of Camelot, modern security was barely even a challenge.  
  
This might be a more direct route than he preferred to use normally- even before magic became less common, he didn't like to appear this explicitly threatening; it didn't exactly encourage the idea that magic could be used for good rather than evil- but Lord Davenport clearly wasn't about to abandon his vendetta against 'Alexander Grayson', and the potential for collateral damage was just too great.  
  
Mina Murray was safely recuperating in the hospital under Jonathan Harker's watch, but there was no guarantee he'd be in a position to save her if something like that happened again; the best thing to do was to prevent anything like this happening again…  
  
"Lord Davenport!" he bellowed (As much as he could bellow with his old man voice), striding into the house and smirking in satisfaction as the old man jumped up from his chair in the nearby drawing room, dropping the glass he'd been drinking; the man wasn't overly fat, but he definitely didn't strike Merlin as the type of man who was used to doing his own work.  
  
"What the- who _are_ you?" Davenport said, raising his hands as though to show he was unarmed as he looked at the elderly intruder in confusion.  
  
"My name is unimportant, _my lord_ ," Merlin said, taking care to give that title every bit of contempt he felt it deserved; at least the nobles he'd known in Camelot, whether natives or visitors, had earned their titles, even if he hadn't always approved of how they'd done it. "What _is_ important is that I am here to pass judgement on you for your unmerited assault on Miss Wilhemina Murray…"  
  
"I did nothing!" Lord Davenport said, looking at Merlin in obvious terror even as he held his hands up. "Why are you here? Was it Grayson? Was it-?"  
  
"It was your _nerve_ in attacking my _legacy_ , 'Lord' Davenport!" Merlin said, cackling slightly as he walked up to the other man; one thing he enjoyed about Dragoon was the opportunity to insult people without fear of consequence, and Davenport was a man who needed to be told what people really thought of him. "You honestly thought that you and your precious _Order_ could strike out at anyone who so much as looked at you in a manner you didn't like and there would never be consequences?"  
  
"I tell you, I did nothing!" Davenport said, his tone becoming increasingly panicked the more he spoke. "I haven't ordered anyone-"  
  
" _I saw your man, Davenport_!" Merlin yelled, raising one hand and generating a large fireball in it as he glared at the other man, the fireball thrust out in front of him as he spoke so that Davenport could only see the fire in front of him.  
  
As he held the fireball practically in front of Lord Davenport's face, the man's eyes widened in terror, and then he let out a strangled scream and staggered backwards, clutching at his chest before he fell to the ground. Extinguishing the fireball, Merlin walked over to look at the man lying before him, but a quick examination was all that was needed; age, the recent loss of his sun, and the terror of Merlin's appearance had all come together to give the man a heart attack.  
  
It wasn't exactly the outcome Merlin had wanted, but it simultaneously wasn't one he felt particularly inclined to grieve. Davenport had been a willing member of the Order of the Dragon whose motives in attacking Grayson were based around nothing more than a self-centred rage at the loss of the heir who would never have been what Davenport expected in life; what he'd been willing to do to a woman who'd never done harm to anyone said it all for Merlin about what kind of man he was.  
  
In the end, this was probably the best way the situation could be resolved; considering his age and the losses he'd suffered recently, everyone would just assume that Davenport's heart finally gave out on its own and leave it at that, and Merlin could be satisfied that he wouldn't be able to resuscitate the man even if he wanted to.  
  
Looking up from the body, his gaze fell on an object wrapped in brown cloth, and without hesitation Merlin tore the string and packaging away with a flick of his wrist, revealing a distinctive image of a woman in a red dress.  
  
Merlin had seen this picture before, shortly after Dracula's transformation into his vampire state, when he was researching the man that the vampire had once been, but it was still something to receive such a vivid confirmation that she was an identical twin to Mina Murray; memory could blur some of the finer details about a person over the years.  
  
Actually, now that Merlin thought about it, he might as well use this discovery to his advantage…

* * *

Walking into Mina Murray's hospital room the following evening- she wasn't badly hurt, but the doctors wanted to keep her for observation just to make sure- Merlin wasn't surprised to see Dracula sitting there; with night having fallen and Jonathan Harker having retired for the night, where else would the vampire be?  
  
"Hello, Mr Grayson," he said, smiling slightly at the other man.  
  
"Doctor Emrys?" Dracula said, looking up at him in surprise, remembering their semi-public location; nobody was in the ward at the moment, but there was no harm in being cautious. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"I… attended to some business earlier today, and discovered something of yours," Merlin said, handing Dracula the large suitcase that he had brought with him. Curious, Dracula took the case and opened it, his eyes widening as he took in the image.  
  
"I tracked down the current owner during some other business, and… well, one thing led to another," Merlin said, shrugging slightly as he smiled at the sight of a vampire stunned into silence, until he sighed. "It's hard, isn't it?"  
  
"What?" Dracula asked, closing the case and concealing the painting once more, looking at Merlin in confusion.  
  
"When the people we love return to us as something other than what they were," Merlin said, his gaze shifting thoughtfully to Mina. "Do you believe it's her?"  
  
"That she is Ilona?" Dracula said, looking up at the warlock for a moment to confirm that they understood each other correctly, before he sighed and turned his attention back to the woman in the bed as he put the case down on the floor beside him. "I do not know how it is possible… or why it happened now… but yes; I do believe it is her."  
  
"An unexpected gift that you've got no idea how to respond to…" Merlin said, looking thoughtfully at Mina, suddenly wondering if some unknown power had been responsible for her and Lucy being such close friends; what were the odds of these women coming together just at the point when the men who'd known them in the past were present as well..?  
  
"That is why you are interested in Miss Westenra, isn't it?" Dracula said, looking at Merlin with renewed understanding, interrupting Merlin's train of thought as he looked back at the vampire. "She was once someone dear to you…"  
  
"Yes," Merlin said, after a moment's contemplative silence; Dracula had kept his word so far, and after Merlin recovered the painting and dealt with Mina's assailants for him, it wasn't like he didn't owe Merlin an additional favour or two, so giving him a secret in return couldn't hurt. "In her previous life- I don't know how it happens any more than you do, so don't ask- Lucy Westenra was Morgana Pendragon."  
  
"Pendragon?" Dracula said, looking at him in surprise. "I thought your country's legends referred to her as Morgan le Fay?"  
  
"I'm not sure how she received that name in later tales, so don't ask; you and I know better than most how tales can become corrupted in the telling," Merlin said, smiling slightly at the thought of that anomalous name- 'Le Fay' had been Gorlois's title, but Morgana had rarely used that name even before she learned that she was Uther's daughter, and had stuck by 'Pendragon' to assert her claim to the throne after her rebellion- before he sat down beside the vampire. "Nevertheless, that was her name; she was Arthur's half-sister, Uther's illegitimate daughter, half-sister of Morgause… and once one of my closest friends, before her fear of her own magic and anger at Uther's oppression of it turned her against the family that raised her and sent her to her half-sister's promises of power and revenge…"  
  
"You loved her?" Dracula said, the expression on the vampire's face the most human thing Merlin had ever seen him express as he looked at the older man, the faint gleam of tears in Merlin's eyes as he looked back on his old memories.  
  
"More than I ever dared to express," he admitted quietly, voicing the secret he'd never admitted even to Gaius. "She was Uther's ward, and I was only Arthur's manservant, but she helped me save a Druid boy after the death of his guardian… she helped me protect my village from raiders… she trusted me with the existence of her own magic… she warned me about an attempt to sacrifice Arthur… and in the end, because I listened to everyone telling me that she couldn't be trusted and gave in to my own fears… I couldn't save her."  
  
"Save her?" Dracula said, looking curiously at him.  
  
"There was this one incident where I was forced to poison her to save Camelot- she'd become the focus of a spell that sent everyone else in the kingdom to sleep while we were attacked- and even though her sister saved her life, Morgana never trusted me again after that," Merlin said; now that he'd started talking, he couldn't quite make himself stop. "She was away for a year with her sister- we never learned what happened to her even as we never stopped searching- and she returned our enemy… she nearly took over Camelot after hiding undercover amongst us for almost a year… and then, as she mounted campaign after campaign against us, no matter how much I wished I could get through to who she'd been, I was only able to kill her when Arthur was dying."  
  
Dracula said nothing for a long while after that, but simply sat in silence alongside Merlin, looking thoughtfully at the shaking, grieving warlock and the still form of Mina Murray lying on the hospital bed beside them, until he spoke again.  
  
"Merlin," he said, speaking the warlock's original name for the first time since their reunion, "you have my word that, as long as it is within my power, I will protect Lucy Westenra just as keenly as I will protect Mina Murray."  
  
"Th… thank you," Merlin said, looking up at the vampire with a smile. "And I can promise you the same for Miss Murray."  
  
"Thank you," Dracula replied, nodding solemnly at Merlin, before he turned his attention back to the unconscious woman in question. "Strange, is it not, that they should return to us so like who they were physically, so different in personality… and yet so fundamentally the same at their hearts?"  
  
"Like I said, Vlad," Merlin said, smiling slightly as he turned his attention to Mina as well, "the power of life and death was one of the greatest and most terrible powers of the Old Religion; even I never fully understood it, especially not why it might do something like _this_."  
  
He shrugged as he looked at Mina, a wistful smile on his face. "All that matters is that, whatever we feel for them, we feel for _them_ … for the women they are, not who they were… and we let them make their own decisions in the end."  
  
"Within reason, naturally," Dracula said, nodding briefly at Merlin.  
  
"Within reason," Merlin said, understanding Dracula's point; he might be leaving Lucy free to make her personal decisions most of the time, but he _was_ committed to ensuring that she didn't repeat Morgana's mistakes.  
  
Still… he and Dracula might have shared this moment of reflection, but there was always going to be that small part of Merlin worrying that Dracula's fundamentally feral nature would drive him to try and 'claim' what was once his…  
  
Merlin ignored that thought; it was nothing but harsh to the man who had come through an impossible series of losses and still desired to maintain some degree of humanity when nobody could blame him for giving it up completely.  
  
They came from different backgrounds with different destinies, but they were united in common cause for now…


	10. Amended Strategies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At this point, my story's unquestionably going into 'alternate universe' rather than 'moments off-screen', so spoilers become less relevant as Merlin's actions in earlier chapters have pretty much averted the Order's efforts here and their impact on our 'civilian' cast, but I hope the results are still interesting

"And you are certain that they do not know?" Dracula asked, looking urgently at Merlin as the two old, young-looking men sat in the main hall of Carfax, drinks in their hands as they spoke in the morning.

"Davenport was the only one who could have seen that portrait, and there was no sign that he'd had any contact with the rest of the Order recently apart from the underlings he tried to send after Miss Murray," Merlin said, indicating the side room where he'd left the aforementioned painting when he and Dracula had left the hospital to return to Carfax. "Trust me; for the moment, the rest of the Order don't even know there's a reason for them to look at Alexander Grayson as a candidate for the vampire elder's true identity, never mind for them to think that Mina Murray's anything more than the wife of one of your employees."

"I am inclined to agree with his assessment, sir," Renfield said, nodding politely at his employer. "Lord Davenport's actions strike me as too fundamentally small-scale to have been approved by the Order at large; if they all wanted you to suffer, they would have attempted something more elaborate than this."

For a moment, each man wondered if he had overstepped his boundaries as Dracula sat and reflectively sipped at his drink, until he nodded in recognition.

"Very well," he said, smiling thoughtfully as he looked at Merlin. "You will be pleased to hear, Doctor Emrys, that I will be continuing with my plans for the resonator; the less reason the Order has to believe that a vampire is active in London at this time, the better."

"You do know that they're probably aware of that by now, right?" Merlin pointed out. "I appreciate your precautions, and I was able to find that suicide note Davenport's son left behind discussing… well, discussing his motives… but-"

"They suspect that I am acting against them, but they do not know about my existence as a vampire or my own knowledge of their activities; that is the most important thing right now," Dracula said, a slightly reflective edge to his voice as he spoke. "The Resonator is in limbo until the Board of Health approves further demonstration; I do not suppose you would be willing…?"

"To offer an independent endorsement?" Merlin finished for the vampire, smiling politely at his associate. "I would be happy to."

Neither him or Dracula were foolish enough to believe that the additional word of one man would be enough to sway the Board's decision completely one way or the other, but every little helped at this point, after all…

* * *

Merlin knew that things weren't going to be easy after the Order attempted to shut down the Resonator- they might not have made their involvement official, but there was no way it was a coincidence- but he hadn't expected to learn that Dracula's 'partner' had cut off his involvement with the whole scheme because it hadn't worked during its attempted debut.  
  
He might know from experience that a plan failing the first time around meant that it was unlikely to succeed when people were expecting a scheme like that, but this wasn't the old days when he had to deal with military coups in medieval kingdoms; this was a modern campaign to undermine a modern political and social power that relied on their resources rather than their military strength, which meant that establishing authority wasn't dependent on just killing everyone who was opposed to you. Van Helsing giving up that quickly didn't exactly encourage the idea that he was thinking particularly clearly, but Merlin just had to hold out hope that the other man could keep it together long enough to realise that the plan was still valid.  
  
The only bright side of the current situation was at least the Order still didn't know who they were actually up against. From what he'd seen when he followed Lady Jayne and Browning to a meeting of the Order using the same 'deflection' spell he'd used earlier, Lady Jayne was bringing together a large collection of vampire hunters, but so far they were unaware that Dracula and Grayson were the same person, even if the Order were pursuing their vendettas against both men. Browning had used his police contacts to investigate Carfax about his apparently-missing children, but it hadn't turned up anything incriminating, although it had inspired Merlin to accompany Dracula to his current meeting with Van Helsing.  
  
"You are certain you wish to do this?" Dracula said, looking curiously at Merlin as he led the way through the university towards Van Helsing's office. "The professor is not a man who tolerates deviations from his plan; he only accepts my alterations because he must…"  
  
"I can handle myself, you know," Merlin pointed out, smiling slightly as he discreetly cast the spell once again; it wouldn't stop Dracula being aware of his presence, but until he was ready to talk to Van Helsing the professor would be completely ignorant of his presence. "Just go in there, find out what Van Helsing knows, and I'll take over once you've left."  
  
"The 'stick and carrot approach'?" Dracula said, looking at Merlin curiously. "I have never attempted it before…"  
  
"Probably because it wouldn't work," Merlin replied, smiling slightly at the vampire. "No offence, but can you honestly claim you'd ever be convincing offering someone any kind of carrot?"  
  
"A fair point," Dracula said, inclining his head briefly at Merlin before he walked into the professor's office, his gaze fixing on the physically older, bearded man who could only be Van Helsing.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Van Helsing said, looking up from his desk to study the vampire.  
  
"Renfield tells me that you are withdrawing from the Resonator project," Dracula replied, as Merlin walked over to another corner of the room to watch the men talk, concealed by his spell and Dracula's assurances.  
  
"Yes," Van Helsing confirmed. "Clearly, the plan has come to a halt; the Order are taking deliberate action against us now."  
  
"The project is merely delayed; it is not halted yet," Dracula replied. "And I have other stratagems in play…"  
  
"Your earlier proposal of a bloodbath?" Van Helsing asked, looking pointedly at the vampire. "Calling it a strategy does not make it any less a compulsion."  
  
To Dracula's credit, he resisted rising to the bait, simply looking solemnly at the professor before he spoke again.  
  
"Professor," he said, his tone a neutral one that nearly avoided giving any clue how he really felt, "you wouldn't happen to know anything about the disappearance of Browning's children?"  
  
"What's it to you?" Van Helsing asked, his tone betraying nothing even as the slight shift in his body language suggested that there was something about that question that got to him.  
  
"Nothing," Dracula replied, staring at the other man. "Only that it places undue scrutinty on our activities by the authorities, and if our plans should fail as a result, I'll hold you solely responsible, and then you, Abraham, are going to have a very, _very_ bad day."  
  
He stood in silence for a moment, leaning against the wall as he kept his gaze fixed on Van Helsing, before he stood up and walked out of the room. "Now then, you will have to excuse me; I have dinner plans."  
  
For a moment after Dracula had left the room, Van Helsing merely stood in silence, but he finally seemed to come to a decision as he began to walk towards the door.  
  
"Don't," Merlin said, his voice breaking the spell and drawing Van Helsing's attention back to him.  
  
"What?" Van Helsing said, looking around and staring as his eyes fell on Merlin. "Who-?"  
  
"My name is Doctor Michael Emrys," Merlin replied; until he was sure that he knew what Van Helsing was going to do, he couldn't afford to reveal his real name. "I am an associate of the man now known as Alexander Grayson."  
  
"Another vampire?" Van Helsing asked, his hand reaching into his pocket as though reaching for a weapon.  
  
"No," Merlin said, shaking his head. "My history is… complicated… but I am not a vampire, I assure you; all I am is significantly older than Count Dracula, as well as possessing certain… traits… that he does not."  
  
"I… see," Van Helsing said, looking at Merlin with the kind of pointed stare that reminded Merlin of the days when he and Arthur had spoken about the wider concerns of Camelot in relation to Arthur's own life, Arthur wanting an honest answer from Merlin and Merlin trying not to give too much away…  
  
"So," Van Helsing said, breaking the silence that had settled over them, "what are you doing here?"  
  
"I came to ensure that you're not about to do anything stupid," Merlin replied.  
  
"That _I_ am not about to do something foolish?" Van Helsing said, looking at the warlock with a new sense of purpose in his manner. "Your friend intends to directly attack the Order-!"  
  
"Dracula's just planning to blow up a club that's regularly used by members of the Order; more extreme than I'd like, but it satisfies his urges while leaving them unaware that a vampire is targeting them specifically," Merlin clarified, looking firmly at the professor. "What I'm more concerned about right now is what you intend to do with Lord Browning's children."  
  
"Why should that concern you?" Van Helsing asked.  
  
"Aside from my automatic dislike of any plan that involves harming children, there are other factors to consider beyond those that Dracula already brought to your attention," Merlin said; he'd never managed to make Morgana see sense with this kind of argument in the past, but hopefully Van Helsing wasn't so far gone that he would be willing to listen to Merlin where she hadn't. "I understand how vengeance can consume you, but you have to remember that there are always lines you shouldn't cross; go too far, and all you'll have to show for it in the end is becoming corrupted into everything you wanted to stop."  
  
"He killed my children-!" Van Helsing began.  
  
"And are you the kind of man who can commit that kind of atrocity in retaliation?" Merlin countered, looking firmly at Van Helsing. "You took a gambit resurrecting Dracula to stand against the Order, but trust me; there are lines that you cannot cross without becoming a greater monster than what you stand against."  
  
For a moment, the two men simply stood and looked at each other, two naturally strong wills meeting in an intense stare that neither was willing to back down from, until Merlin turned to leave the room.  
  
"Just think about it, Van Helsing," he said, pausing as he opened the door to address the other man without looking at him. "Maybe Lord Browning deserves to be punished… but do his children deserve to share their father's punishment any more than yours did?"  
  
It risked opening up old wounds and just making Van Helsing angry at him, but Merlin had to hope that Van Helsing would accept his point; there were some lines that simply couldn't be crossed without losing the reason you started fighting in the first place.  
  
As he turned around and left the room, Merlin could only hope that what he had just said would have some effect on the other man; regardless of what Van Helsing had done in pursuit of his vengeance, he wanted to believe that the professor was still a good man with the potential to make the right decision.  
  
The man had once made the decision to oppose the Order of the Dragon; all Merlin could do now was hope that he would also make the decision to reject their methods…

* * *

Walking out of his meeting with the Board of Health, Merlin allowed himself a satisfied smile at what had just taken place; after the complexity of his meeting with Van Helsing, he much preferred the relatively straightforward meeting he'd just come out of.  
  
It had been tricky to make his case completely, of course- he couldn't exactly share how he knew that the Resonator had been 'sabotaged', and he was reluctant to get into a 'bribery war' with any of the officials in case the Order managed to outbid him, even if it wasn't ethically questionable- but he felt that he'd managed to place emphasis on his role as a local physician who'd been treating people in the area of the Resonator well enough. With him serving as an independent witness who could confirm that nothing generated by the Resonator could have caused such violent illness among the residents so suddenly, along with examples of some of Grayson's employees who'd been far closer to the Resonator and demonstrated no ill effects themselves, the Board of Health had been quick to withdraw their allegations and grant approval for Alexander Grayson to continue his tests.  
  
With that sorted out, the only thing left for Merlin to do was to ensure that the Order didn't do anything to the Resonator that he couldn't repair later. Science and magic might be drastically different methods, but with Gaius as inspiration, he'd studied enough modern methods to have a fair idea of what would and wouldn't work, and felt that he had enough background information to know what the Resonator shouldn't do.  
  
On a more personal note, Merlin had checked up Jonathan Harker after his meeting with Van Helsing, and had confirmed that the journalist was no longer talking with the Order of the Dragon. Browning had apparently made contact with him about the possibility of membership in the Order that morning, but Jonathan had simply informed Browning that he disagreed with their plans for Grayson and left it at that. According to Jonathan, Browning had appeared disappointed, but had also apparently accepted the other man's decision, and Merlin doubted that they would take the issue any further; the Order might be ruthless, but since Jonathan had done nothing to explicitly wrong them, and had apparently made it clear he had no plans to discuss his meeting with Alexander Grayson, he would probably be left alone.  
  
Merlin's only problem now was deciding what he should do next. As things currently stood, the Order had no easy means of gaining access to the Resonator, and were still ignorant of the fact that Alexander Grayson and Dracula were the same person, but with Van Helsing possibly holding children prisoner, and the Order bringing in so many vampire hunters, it was only a matter of time before things took a turn for the worse…  
  
"Doctor Emrys?" a familiar voice suddenly said, breaking his initial train of thought. "Is something wrong?"  
  
Turning to the source of the voice, Merlin smiled slightly as he saw Lucy Westenra walking up to him.  
  
Whatever else might be happening to him, his main reason for staying with Dracula remained valid; Morgana's reincarnation was still on his side (She wasn't actively fighting him; that counted as his side to him).  
  
"Just… lost in thought; nothing serious, Miss Westenra," he said, smiling politely at her. "Are you well?"  
  
"Fine," Lucy replied, sighing slightly in a manner that Merlin recognised from when Morgana had been troubled by something in his early years in Camelot (Any time she'd put that voice on where he could see it later, she'd been lying). "It's just… I went to see Mina in hospital, and we were civil enough to each other… she seems to want our old friendship again, and I would like that too, but it… it's still hard…"  
  
"Getting over someone you love?" Merlin said, smiling in understanding at her. "Count yourself lucky; at least the person you love simply doesn't feel that way about you."  
  
"Lucky?" Lucy repeated, looking at Merlin in shock.  
  
"The last person I really loved spent the last few years that we knew each other trying to kill me," Merlin said.  
  
" _What_?" Lucy said, looking at him in shock. "Someone tried to _kill_ you?"  
  
"As I said, mistakes were made on both sides," Merlin said; part of him couldn't believe he was talking about this, but at the same time he wanted to test her reaction to his story. "She believed that I had been involved in a plan to kill her and spent a year living with someone who encouraged her own issues; I did my best, but… well, she wasn't who she had been."  
  
"Oh," Lucy said, looking sympathetically at him. "I'm… I'm sorry."  
  
"It was a long time ago," Merlin said, even as he smiled gratefully at her. "But… thanks; I appreciate that."  
  
"You're welcome," Lucy said, smiling at him before she shook her head in amusement. "It's strange, but I feel as though I've… known you for so long, when we only met a few weeks ago…"  
  
"Maybe we knew each other in another life?" Merlin said, hoping he sounded less serious than he felt at that statement; to be so close to telling Morgana everything, only to be held back by his own fears once again…  
  
He knew that he couldn't tell her that- it would be too much for her to accept all at once, considering the complexities of reincarnation as a mere concept- but it was nice to be with a Morgana who wasn't trying to kill him.  
  
"Who can say?" Lucy said, smiling at him in a manner that reminded Merlin of that long-ago day in the dungeons when Morgana had assumed he had feelings for Gwen. "Anyway, what are you doing here?"  
  
"Just assisting Mr Grayson in dealing with a few legal technicalities," Merlin said, smiling at her. "Actually, his resonator should be ready for another test-run soon; would you care to attend?"  
  
"I would be delighted," Lucy replied, smiling warmly at him, even as the slight gleam in her eyes prompted Merlin to wonder if she was attending for more reasons than the chance to be present at a historic occasion.  
  
Things with the Order might be complicated, and Dracula might be unable to take things further with Mina due to her continued relationship with Jonathan, but right now, for the moment, Merlin just wanted to spend some time walking and talking with Lucy Westenra…


	11. Successful Demonstration

Checking over his suit in the mirror, Merlin smiled as he realised just what he was doing.

Honestly, he hadn't particularly cared about what he looked like for centuries so long as he wasn't so hideous as to attract stares from others, but now that things were going so comparatively well with Lucy Westenra, he was actually showing some interest in looking presentable.

In a strange way, he was actually grateful to Dracula for setting all of this off. He might have had no particularly strong feelings about the Order of the Dragon himself before this all started- he didn't like what they did, but they hadn't done anything to him personally- but the more time he spent witnessing what they were capable of, the more invested he became in ensuring that they couldn't continue their activities. Dracula's plan with the Resonator was a complicated scheme, but it had the advantage of undermining the Order without actually requiring anyone to die; despite all the death that Merlin had witnessed over the years, he still preferred not to have to kill unless he was certain that the alternatives would be worse.

As it was, the plans for tonight's demonstration were comparatively straightforward and should all go off without too many problems if all went well. Van Helsing had provided Dracula with the latest treatment to allow him to walk in the sunlight in preparation for the new demonstration of the Resonator, and complimented Merlin's success in helping sort out their issues with the Board of Health, but Merlin still wasn't entirely comfortable with the scientist; he had a feeling that, if he hadn't stepped in to warn Van Helsing about the dangers of revenge, the other man would be perfectly willing to leave Dracula to burn…

Still, the past was the past, and there was no point worrying about what someone might have done if things had unfolded differently; all that mattered was what they had done. Merlin had resolved a long time ago that killing someone because they might be dangerous would never be acceptable; if you knew that they'd done something dangerous and intended to repeat their actions, killing them might be an option you had to consider, but killing someone because of what they might do just opened up an argument that would allow anyone to kill _anyone_.

If everything worked out as he hoped it would, Merlin would be able to ensure that the Resonator demonstration went off without a hitch and nobody else would have to die. He'd made a few quick checks on the Order's various properties and learned that they had assembled various seers, hunters and assorted holy relics to hunt for other vampires in London, but Merlin was taking his own precautions; with a few subtle warding spells to prevent Dracula being detected by their resources, and the plentiful supply of vampires already active in London, the Order could eliminate the vermin and leave the man publically known as Alexander Grayson untouched. He'd also erected a few subtle protective spells around the Resonator to prevent anyone trying to sabotage it before the main event; considering the Order's belief that they were doing the work of God, he doubted they'd have access to anyone with the power needed to break through his wards and actually damage the machine, but at the same time he'd had to be careful to arrange the spells so that it simply made it hard for potential intruders to have time alone with the machine rather than making it obvious that something was protecting it.

It was more than he'd been planning on doing when he first made contact with Dracula, but even if he'd never be entirely comfortable spending this much time with a vampire, Merlin recognised a fundamental potential within the vampire to be a better person that he felt it was his duty to encourage further.

Dracula was no real substitute for Arthur, but Lucy Westenra was fast becoming far more than the reborn Morgana…

* * *

Lucy didn't know what was happening to her; she'd simply been getting dressed for the demonstration this morning, trying to find a suitable outfit to match Doctor Emrys's usual attire (And trying not to think about why she felt it so important to match him), and then she'd looked in the mirror and found herself staring at a reflection of herself with dark hair in a black dress, with a very pointed expression of disapproval on her face for some reason.  
  
The moment had passed quickly enough, and it didn't seem like something that she should be concerned about (Actually, she felt like she'd experienced something similar before), but there was still something there that she couldn't explain, a nagging feeling of something she should remember…  
  
Shaking her head, Lucy turned her attention back to her chosen dress- darker than her usual choice, but a tasteful deep purple that managed to go well with her hair- putting thoughts of unusual dreams out of her mind to focus on the issues facing her in the real world.  
  
More specifically, Lucy was reflecting on what an incredible mistake she'd almost made after Mina's rejection.  
  
She'd visited Mina in hospital, so scared and shaken after her mysterious near-attack in the college a few nights ago, and what she'd witnessed had left Lucy unable to believe that she could have ever thought about following Lady Jayne's advice; seeing Mina in pain had hurt, but the thought of seeing her in pain that _Lucy_ had caused…  
  
She was glad that she had chosen to heed Doctor Emrys's warnings instead; Mina and Jonathan were so happy together, planning where they would go on their honeymoon, enjoying the opportunities available to them now that they had Jonathan's new job and Mina was making such progress with her studies?  
  
What would she have had to offer Mina other than furtive secrets in the dark, unable to publicise whatever relationship they may have had without being outcast by most of modern society? Wanting Mina's love might have been something she couldn't control, but she could control what effect that love had on her friend; if Mina wished to be with Jonathan, Lucy would smile and accept it.  
  
Actually, ever since she met Doctor Emrys, she found that she had more than a few good reasons to smile…  
  
When she thought about it, she was starting to realise that her interest in Mina had been based mainly around the fact that she was so much more interesting than anyone else she knew. All the men she'd met so far were either too old for her or just too dull, nothing more than vacant pretty-boys occupied with their own social status; she may not have fully understood Mina's interest in becoming a doctor, but it showed more drive than most of the people she spent time with at the various society balls.  
  
And then she met the enigmatic Doctor Michael Emrys, who spoke to her without expectation, who told her so much about himself in so little information, who offered her advice just to help her, who had endured such a hard life and still found reasons to smile…  
  
She didn't know what it was about him, but she felt so _drawn_ to him… the doctor with no family who'd experienced so much hardship and still managed to smile at the end of it all… the man who sometimes looked at her as though he couldn't believe she was there…  
  
Even with all the male attention she'd attracted at the various functions she attended with Mina, the way he looked at her made her feel something she'd never felt before… and yet, at the same time, something that she felt like she should have felt for ages…

* * *

Lady Jayne had no clear idea what had been going on in London in the last few months, but she knew enough to know that what should have been a straightforward hunt was becoming increasingly complicated.  
  
She'd hoped that the hunt for the elder vampire would become simpler once they'd identified the vampire by name, but it seemed as though knowledge that they were hunting Dracula just made him more difficult to find. Even with all their resources and hunters, they had only managed to find various lesser vampires, while the Elder remained maddeningly elusive; contrary to the familiar pattern of such vampires, he didn't even appear to be making his kills particularly public, with all vampire-related deaths being attributable to lower vampires.  
  
Even worse, the Seer that had been doing this work collapsed just as he was preparing to name Dracula's location, which suggested that there was something interfering with his sight, raising more than a few issues that Lady Jayne would prefer not to think about.  
  
The list of things capable of deflecting a Seer of his experience and power was relatively short, but she would rather not consider the risks of Dracula in an alliance with something that… capable; he was dangerous enough on his own.  
  
The hunters had already eliminated a fair amount of vampire activity in the city, so their efforts hadn't been a total loss in terms of eradicating the vermin, but there was still no way for them to find the elder without the seer to guide them…  
  
What could possibly be _protecting_ a vampire like that?  
  
At the moment, with no way to find the Elder and the lower vampires easily dispatched by the other hunters, the best thing that she could do was see what she could do about Grayson's resonator; the vampire was a potential threat, but that device would certainly threaten the Order's power if it was left unchecked.  
  
Apparently, attempts to infiltrate the warehouse to sabotage it prior to the demonstration had proven fruitless- most likely due to Browning's foolish attempt to recruit Jonathan Harker; the man had no reason to turn against Grayson, after all- but Lady Jayne had confidence in her skills to penetrate the resonator's defences and take a look for herself…

* * *

Standing near the door of the warehouse where the Resonator was being kept- this way he was able to say that he was at the demonstration while also being in a good position to maintain the spell that would prevent any unauthorised access to the machine- Merlin smiled as the various lightbulbs Dracula had provided to his attendees began to glow as the incredible machine was activated.  
  
Science might not be his strongest point- he kept reasonably up-to-date in terms of medicine just in case, but technology was always slightly confusing to him- but he was impressed at what could be accomplished without magic these days, and Dracula's plans for the future were certainly ambitious. With the Resonator as an alternative power source, most of the Order's oil reserves were relatively useless, and Grayson was now too public for the Order to risk arranging an attack on him to stop the demonstration that way.  
  
Things were even going well on a personal note. Not only was the current demonstration being attended by virtually everyone who'd been invited to Grayson's debut, but Jonathan Harker and Mina Murray had decided to give Mina more time to recuperate after her attack by going out of town for a few days, and Dracula had offered them a country cottage that Merlin had directed him to. It was a small place that he used when he wanted privacy to keep his skills fresh, located not far from where his original village had once stood, but there was nothing in it to indicate who the owner was or what he used it for; it would be a good opportunity for them to just spend some time together after the tension of the last few days.  
  
Besides, with the Order now no longer interested in recruiting Jonathan for anything- with the Resonator demonstrated successfully, the Order couldn't sabotage it now without attracting attention to potential rivals- it left the happy couple free to focus on making their new life with each other, relatively ignorant of the wider issues that they were unaware had come into their lives. Merlin felt sorry for Dracula not being able to reach some kind of progress in his relationship with the reincarnation of his dead love, but Dracula appeared content to respect Mina's choice so long as Jonathan proved worthy of her; only a few jealous stares when neither party was looking were any indication of how he really felt.  
  
The sound of footsteps coming up behind him prompted Merlin to turn around, but he relaxed when he saw that it was only Van Helsing.  
  
"It would appear that the Resonator was a success?" the Dutch professor asked, looking thoughtfully at the glowing lightbulbs in the hands of the various attendees.  
  
"Certainly looks that way," Merlin confirmed. "He's still got a lot of work to do to get it working on a larger scale, but the potential involved now that he's created an effective demonstration should make it easy enough to acquire additional funding; all he needs to do is talk to the right people."  
  
"Will you be assisting him further?"  
  
"That depends on… many things," Merlin said, even as he acknowledged that he didn't know what those 'many things' would be; Dracula may not need his help now, he didn't want to make it too obvious that someone powerful was protecting Alexander Grayson, he was still uncomfortable with the vampire thing…  
  
He had no definite reason _not_ to help the vampire; he just didn't have a clear reason to do so either.  
  
"Where's Browning?" Merlin asked, deciding to think about that issue later. "I would have thought he'd at least try to be here to see what he's up against…"  
  
"Browning is dead," Van Helsing said simply.  
  
"And his children?" Merlin asked, not particularly shocked at that news; anyone who killed children didn't deserve sympathy, but _how_ he was killed would affect Merlin's opinion of the man standing before him…  
  
"Back with their mother," Van Helsing replied, actually looking slightly ashamed of himself as he looked at Merlin. "She was mostly uninvolved in the Order's activities, and, as you said, the children are innocent; attacking them does nothing for our cause."  
  
"Thank you," Merlin said, smiling at the Dutch professor.  
  
"Don't," Van Helsing said, staring back at the warlock with a cold glare. "I still wish it could be that simple…"  
  
"But you recognised that it didn't have to be," Merlin said, still smiling slightly at the physically older man; whatever Van Helsing felt about him now, Merlin admired how he had done the right thing. "That's what matters."  
  
It was a tentative shift, and the professor still had a great deal of work to do to control his anger, but sometimes those little moments were all you needed to change everything…  
  
"Where's the formula?" he asked, hoping to get the conversation back onto a more neutral topic.  
  
"Safely in storage," Van Helsing said; neither of them needed to ask for more information. "I will keep it available for our… associate… but I would prefer not to make it… too public."  
  
Merlin nodded in understanding; the serum was useful, but if Dracula used it too often, he ran the risk of more vampires becoming aware of it, which could inspire further problems in the long run…  
  
"Good call," he said, nodding at the other man. "Well, I'll talk to you later; I have a… visit… to make."


	12. Altered Bonds

Outside the building that served as the current residence of the man known to almost all who knew him now as Doctor Michael Emrys, a figure in black stood silently on the street opposite, looking contemplatively between the door to the house in question and the compass-like device in her hand.

Lady Jayne's attempts to infiltrate the Resonator warehouse and sabotage the experiment had failed, but it had been enough to determine that whatever was keeping them out went beyond good security and bad luck on the part of Grayson's staff and the Order's men, respectively. Clearly, whoever Grayson was, he not only had some idea that someone was acting against him, but also had some unconventional methods for dealing with that problem, which meant that unconventional methods had been required to find them.

With the Seer still unconscious after whatever was protecting Dracula had knocked him out, Lady Jayne had been forced to resort to cruder methods to find Dracula's mysterious new ally. Ironically, Lord Browning's disappearance had helped in that regard, as she no longer had anyone to impose limitations on her; she'd heard rumours that one of their agents had seen him going into a mine that had subsequently been set on fire, but she wasn't going to put much stock in that rumour of his death until a body was actually discovered.

With natural abilities apparently useless, she had turned to more artificial means of finding their unknown obstacle; the compass she was holding had been modified to focus on powerful sources of eldritch energy, such as might be generated by a powerful warlock of the kind needed to create such a barrier, and she had acquired a knife that was apparently designed to absorb the energy of the victim and release it against them, as well as negating their abilities if used on the knife directly.

The compass might have helped her identify the mysterious Doctor Michael Emrys as the source of a great deal of power that was probably the source of the barrier that had prevented them attacking the Resonator, but until she could learn more about who he was, where he came from, and his motives for helping Grayson in the first place, she just didn't have enough to go on to risk making contact and trying to win him to her side…

Then again, a conversation could be an interesting means of establishing what it might take to accomplish such a goal; it wasn't like Doctor Emrys was likely to be fully aware of who he was working with or acting against, considering what she suspected about Grayson's true nature at this point…

Her mind made up, Lady Jayne walked up to the door of the house and knocked on the door, only having to wait for a moment before the door opened to reveal the man she had come here to visit.

"Doctor Emrys," she said, smiling politely at him. "I am-"

"Lady Jayne Wetherby; I know who you are," Doctor Emrys interjected, looking at her with a polite yet cool stare that left Lady Jayne feeling suddenly colder than she had moments ago. "And if you're here to make me an offer of any sort, I can assure you that I can and will refuse it; you have nothing that I could want."

"I find that unlikely," Lady Jayne said, smiling politely at him as she walked into the house in the same authoritative manner that had earned her her current role in the Order; the fact that he simply closed the door behind her would have worried a lesser hunter, but she was confident that she could handle the threat he posed. "We have a great deal to discuss-"

"Actually, there's only one thing I want to know that you could answer for me," Doctor Emrys said, turning to look firmly at her. "What were your plans regarding Lucy Westenra?"

"Lucy Westenra?" Lady Jayne repeated, trying to sound innocent. "I don't know what you-"

"You were talking to her about how her feelings for Mina were natural and it was _Mina_ who was in the wrong for rejecting her," Doctor Emrys interrupted. "I respect peoples' rights to be whatever way inclined they wish so long as their activities aren't harming anyone, but we both know that all women _don't_ feel that way towards their own gender; why did you tell her that?"

For a moment, Lady Jayne was unexpectedly frozen, her eyes flicking around the room as she tried to find some way out of the current confrontation, before she realised that she wasn't going to get out without answering the question.

"It was an… indirect attack," she admitted at last; to her credit, having made her decision, she kept her gaze fixed on Emrys. "I knew that Grayson had feelings for Miss Murray, but confronting her directly would have made my own role obvious; if I approached the matter by exploiting Miss Westenra's own feelings..."

"I see; you wanted to avenge your injured feelings and Lucy was just the most effective yet indirect way you could find that would allow you to do it," Emrys said, his tone making his contempt for that concept clear as he glared at her, before he sighed and shrugged. "Well, I was never going to like it; good of you to be honest, anyway…"

"Speaking of honesty…" Lady Jayne said, reaching into her coat to grab a knife before she lunged towards Emrys; regardless of his power, this blade should disable Doctor Emrys's unusual abilities long enough for her to-

Doctor Emrys caught the blade between his hands as though it was nothing, yanking it out of Lady Jayne's grasp almost before she realised that it had been unable to reach its target.

"I take it you know what I was doing to aid Grayson earlier, then?" he said, shaking his head with a pitying smile as he tossed the dagger into a corner of the room, behind a nearby chair, too far away for Lady Jayne to reach it without her unexpectedly powerful foe catching her.

"You know about us?" Lady Jayne asked.

"The Order of the Dragon, you mean?" Doctor Emrys said, smiling slightly at her. "Naturally I know; I've been around for a while."

"You have?" Lady Jayne asked, trying to conceal her fear; she knew how to fight vampires, but without the dagger, her options for fighting someone powerful enough to resist the influence of the dagger were limited. "How can you do… all this? Who _are_ you?"

"Simply put, I can do all this because I am the most powerful being of magic you will find in the present day, my 'lady'," Emrys said, an edge to his voice suggesting that he didn't consider her worthy of that title. "I am Merlin."

Lady Jayne's eyes widened in shock at that news.

 _Merlin_?

The Order had heard of the legendary wizard, of course- even without public records and stories, one of their members had managed to find some of Camelot's old archives and learn what had really happened back in the golden age of Albion- but to be face-to-face with him here and now…

No wonder the knife had been so useless; how could any weapon negate the power of Merlin himself?

"But… after all you did in Camelot, you're working to protect _Count Dracula_?" she said, trying to focus on something other than the power of the man she'd just angered; it was a leap, but while Alexander Grayson could have done nothing to ensure this loyalty from Merlin, Dracula may possess enough power to influence even a warlock. "The man is the greatest mass murderer of the ages-!"

"Who only ever killed people who were actively opposed to him," Merlin countered grimly. "I don't approve of his treatment of his enemies, but at least he generally did that to people who were trying to kill him first; the Order can say many things about what they've accomplished, but the fact remains that your organisation have murdered people whose only crime was being _related_ to somebody you didn't like."

"Our mission-" Lady Jayne began.

"I've heard people preach about the 'greater good' to justify mass murder of innocents for centuries; if you think you can come up with an argument I haven't heard before that I'll accept, you're welcome to try, but I doubt it," Merlin said, glaring resolutely at her for a moment before he raised one hand. "Besides, considering how much you know and what you could have done, it's time to end this."

Lady Jayne didn't even have time to scream before Merlin raised one hand and flicked his fingers, her head twisting around and a sharp crack reaching her ears…

* * *

Looking at the body on the ground before him, neck neatly twisted and death virtually instantaneous, Merlin sighed in frustration.  
  
It wasn't as though he regretted killing her or anything like that- he didn't _like_ killing people, but unlike when he was younger, he recognised when it was necessary, and Lady Jayne definitely deserved death if anyone did after all her attempts to manipulate the apparently innocent Lucy just to indirectly hurt someone else entirely- but doing it this way was too impulsive; he was just _asking_ for trouble…  
  
Or _was_ he?  
  
Actually, if he was careful, it might just work out…

* * *

Walking up the street towards the Westenra household, Merlin tried not to feel too guilty about the fact that he was using this visit to cement his alibi; he'd been planning to come and see Lucy anyway, so it wasn't like he was just using her to cover his tracks or anything like that.  
  
Besides, Lady Jayne's body had been relatively easy to dispose of thanks to the secret sewer access route Merlin had added to the house's basement after he purchased it- long experience in Camelot had taught him the wisdom of arranging for a few secret entrances and exits to the buildings he used on a regular basis, particularly when dealing with people who might not be comfortable with magic- so Merlin was content to leave that issue alone for now. Lady Jayne's reputation for hunting solo would work against her in this case; if anyone found Lady Jayne's body, they'd most likely assume that a vampire caught her and decided not to bother drinking for some reason (It might have been full, or it might have worried that she was one of those hunters who poisoned their own blood to ensure that the vampires didn't make it if they tried to feed)…  
  
As he finally reached Lucy's door, Merlin resolved to forget about that particular incident for good; Lady Jayne had paid for her attempt to subvert Morgana, and now all he had to do was enjoy her company.  
  
"Doctor Emrys!" Lucy said, smiling as she opened her door to reveal the mysterious doctor. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"Mr Grayson is celebrating his new business with his colleagues, and I noticed that you left the demonstration by yourself," Merlin replied with a slight smile. "I figured, you're lonely, I'm lonely… let's be lonely together?"  
  
"That is a remarkably poor line for a man of your education, Doctor Emrys," Lucy said, her smile becoming more teasing as she looked at him.  
  
"Does that mean you'd prefer to be alone?" Merlin asked.  
  
"Far from it," Lucy said, smiling understandingly at him as she stepped aside to allow him into her house. "Mother's away with friends at the moment; do you have any particular plans?"  
  
"A drink to toast my friend's success," Merlin said, walking over to a drinks cabinet and pulling out a bottle of whiskey before he suddenly remembered where he was- he'd been so used to just taking a drink when he walked into Dracula's house that he'd forgotten he wasn't there now- and looked apologetically back at Lucy. "That is, if you wouldn't mind…"  
  
"Of course not," Lucy said, smiling politely at him. "Please, feel free, so long as you pour one for me too."  
  
"As you wish," Merlin said, returning her smile as he poured them each a glass, sliding one across the small table to Lucy as he picked up his own. "To the Resonator."  
  
"To Alexander Grayson," Lucy said, smiling as she took a sip of her drink. "For without him, we never would have met."  
  
"Pardon?" Merlin said, looking at her in surprise.  
  
"Did you think I'd never remember that you were there that first night?" Lucy asked, smiling at him.  
  
"You already knew-" Merlin began (What was it about Morgana that always made him feel like he was tripping over his words?).  
  
"Oh, I knew you were _there_ ; it just took me a while to remember you," Lucy said, the smile on her face faltering slightly as she looked at him with an edge of uncertainty in her manner. "I… you looked at me… like you'd seen me before… like there was something you hadn't been expecting…"  
  
For a moment, Merlin honestly thought about denying it, but denial was what had destroyed his relationship with Morgana back in Camelot; if he had the chance to amend that mistake now, he had to take it.  
  
"You… remind me of someone," he said at last, looking at her with a wistful smile. "Someone I… loved… a great deal once…"  
  
"Is this the person who tried to kill you?" Lucy asked.  
  
"Yes," he answered; he was going to have to tell her so many lies right now, he might as well ensure that he told her as much of the truth as he could. "She spent a year living with someone who convinced that I'd tried to kill her- it was complicated; this isn't the right place to discuss that issue- and when she came back, she was too caught up in her own pain and anger…"  
  
His voice trailed off as he looked uncertainly at Lucy, suddenly realising how she might take this; talking about his lost love was one thing, but it wouldn't exactly be fair if Lucy thought he was just using her as a replacement, even if it was more complicated than that…  
  
"Like I said," he said, smiling uncertainly at her after a moment's silence on both sides, "I started talking with you because I liked your company and I wanted to offer you another perspective; I don't expect you to do anything-"  
  
Further thought was cut off as Lucy suddenly grabbed his head and pulled him down towards her for a kiss, her tongue penetrating his mouth as he opened it to yell in surprise almost before he realised what was happening. For a moment he froze, unsure what to do or how to react, but then instinct and desire took over and he wrapped his arms around Lucy, holding her close as he kissed her back.  
  
Thoughts about where this was going would have to wait until later to be given their no doubt vital analysis.  
  
Right now, he didn't care about Dracula, the Order, or whether he was here because he wanted to be with Morgana Pendragon or Lucy Westenra; all that mattered was that, after almost a thousand years of thinking he'd lost his chance, he was here at last…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that's that; hope you enjoyed that conclusion to my AU take on 'Dracula'.
> 
> As I said, if further inspiration strikes or more episodes of the series are made, I will take this story further; as it stands, I thank all my reviewers for enjoying this little idea of mine, and apologise for the delay in this final chapter.


End file.
